Picking up the Pieces
by CaptainSparrow09
Summary: Once the power comes back, Miles and Nora attempt to move on, bringing Charlie with them.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Kripke/Abrams own it all. Nothing is mine.

* * *

"You cannot keep doing this."

Nora's voice was sharp in Miles's ear and garnered no response from him. He was sitting on the couch, elbow propped up on the back, and leaned his hand against his head. One finger rubbed at the corner of his eye but his gaze did not falter from his niece.

"Miles,"

"Just go to bed." he finally muttered, exhaling a long sigh. His girlfriend didn't say another word but threw a look in Charlie's direction, then left the living room. Somewhere down the hall, a door shut loudly behind Nora. "Alright, now what?"

Charlie turned her head slightly away from the window she was sitting at, the same blank look that had been on her face for months staring at him. Wordlessly, she turned her attention back to the lights of Washington DC. After regaining the power and stopping Monroe, the rebels had retaken the former capital. Miles, reluctantly it should be said, had been helping them. For that, they were grateful-as he and Nora were two of the top contributors- and had given him the pick of the apartments. He made Nora choose and at the moment, they were living in what used to be Trowbridge House, a former guest house of the White House. As soon as they could leave, he planned on picking up and heading out.

Charlie leaned forward on her elbows and pressed her hands against her mouth. Her uncle glanced around the ornate room and slowly stood. A chess board sat on one shelf, and he grabbed it, then placed it in front of her at the table she was sitting at.

"Do you know how to play?"

She shook her head silently and he nodded in response, pulling an overstuffed arm chair over.

"I'll teach you. Your grandfather taught me and your dad. Thought it'd be a good skill to have because it teaches you about strategy." he unloaded the pieces from the chest and quickly set up the board. His eyes flicked over her as he worked, taking in her appearance. Her blonde hair was in a messy knot on the top of her head and she looked too pale, too thin. She wore one of his long sleeved shirts paired with old running shorts and it swallowed her form. "You hungry, kid?"

Again, a silent 'no.'

"Alright." he palmed a black and white pawn, shuffled them behind his back, then held his closed fists out to her. "Pick a hand."

She eyed him for a second, then tapped the back of his left hand with the tip of her pointer finger. He opened it to reveal the black pawn.

"That works out. Okay, so the white side always goes first." he slides the board around so they have the proper pieces. "These are pawns."

He pointed to the front row of his pieces, "They can move two spots the first time, but then any other time it's only one. Got it?"

A short nod.

"Rooks can move side to side, up and down. Knights make an L shape. Bishops can only go diagonal. King can only go one space at a time, any way. Queens can go anywhere." he pointed out each piece, demonstrating. He looked at her, waiting for the verbal response that is never going to come. She nodded in understanding and curled her feet up underneath her. "Every piece can go backwards except pawns. And most of them can go however far in the direction unless they hit another piece. Like checkers, just... more sophisticated. Any questions?"

That would be a no.

"Okay. So I'll start." he nudged a pawn near the center forward two spots, then waited for her move. The game moved slowly, inhibited by the fact that she wouldn't ask questions. Every so often she'd give a questioning glance but otherwise kept her eyes down on the board. In the end, he wound up taking all her pieces. "Do you want to go again?"

No.

"You tired?"

A hesitant no, but a no nonetheless. He held back a sigh and leaned forward slightly, peering at her with concerned eyes. She shrunk back at the attention and leaned her head on her hand.

"How about a movie then?" he nodded at the TV, which was currently turned off. The power had only been back eight months, not enough time to regenerate the entertainment industry, therefore he had been scrounging up old DVDs while trying to repair the world. She sent a glance to the clock on the wall, causing him to look as well. It was almost one in the morning and he knew what she was thinking. "Hey, I'm not tired either."

It was a lie, a weak one at that. He was damn exhausted but he was not going to just head off to bed while she sat up all night by herself.

She shrugged, what the hell, and moved over to the couch. He went to the TV and scanned the pile of DVDs he has collected, chose _Casablanca, _and headed to the couch, bringing the remote with him.

"This is old but classic. Most quoted movie ever." he told her, hitting the play button. He stretched out, arms on the back of the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table, and glanced at her. She was practically slumped over next to him. Gently, he put an arm around her and tugged her down so she was lying on the couch. Her head went to his lap and her fingers wrapped tightly around his thigh, as if he'd disappear if she didn't, and he ran his down her arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. It had become their routine. He knew she would rather not sleep but he could see her exhaustion and knew if he was in the vicinity, the nightmares didn't seem to happen as badly as when he was not there.

About a half hour into the movie, he leaned over her to check if she was awake. Her eyes were closed and her grip had loosened. He grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and placed it over her.

* * *

"You can't keep doing this." Nora told him again the next morning over coffee. She was up early to head off to a meeting and he was practically asleep in his eggs. She pondered her next choice of words and looked him square in the eye. "Miles, she can't stay here."

"Stop."

"No. I'm sorry. I feel for her, I do, but it's almost been a year. This... it isn't normal. And you shadowing her and babying her isn't helping anything."

"Well sorry but I'm not just tossing her out into the street."

"You are killing yourself. You... you're killing us."

"Nora,"

"I'm not sure how much more of this I can put up with."

There was a long pause and Miles barely glanced up at her.

"Then I guess you'll have to leave." he said quietly. His response shocked her but at the same time, it didn't. She knew when push came to shove, he would choose the girl over her.

"I need to go. I'm going to be late. We'll talk about this later." she grabbed a bag from the counter and stormed out of the kitchen. The door to the apartment slammed behind her and he leaned back in his chair, frustration seeping over him. After taking a few minutes to compose himself, he walked into the living room to find the couch empty. The bathroom was empty as well and he was surprised to find Charlie standing in the bedroom she barely used, her back to the door. She turned, unaware that he was there, and he raised an eyebrow, seeing the backpack open on her bed.

"What's that for?" he asked, catching her attention. She looked at him for a moment, then picked up a t-shirt from the dresser, and went back to her bag. "Charlie,"

"I'm going to leave." the sound of her voice caught him off guard. He was used to signals and looks, not words.

"Hey," he stepped into the room and plucked the clothes out of her hand, tossing them to the bed. He knew she heard Nora. "You're not going anywhere."

"I," her voice was hoarse from lack of use and she cleared her throat, looking off to the side. "I don't want to burden you anymore and... and I'm causing problems between you and Nora."

"Okay, first off, you're not a burden. Second of all, there were problems between me and Nora long before you came around kid so don't try and flatter yourself. If you _want _to leave, that's a different story. Do you want to leave?"

It took a while but she shook her head no and looked down at the carpeted floor. He reached out and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eye. The tears he found caused him to pull her into a hug and she latched onto him tightly, pressing her face into his chest.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you." he said quietly. "And I'm not. That means I'm not going anywhere and I'm not kicking you out. Okay?"

She nodded against him, sniffing loudly. He ran a hand over her back and kissed the top of her head quickly.

"Come on. I made eggs."

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"I think you're hurting and that's understandable."

"You... you guys aren't like this."

"Everyone's different. You do what you feel comfortable with. Don't be a cold bastard just because I am."


	2. Chapter 2

Nora was ashamed to admit that she was jealous of Charlie. She knew that it was illogical and ridiculous but somehow the young woman got to her. She knew that partially, it was her fault. After all, she was the one who chided Miles into going easier on his niece. Gave him the whole speech that anytime he got too close to anyone, he ran. Some part of her wondered if this was his way of sticking it to her, by dragging out his supposed duty. The two of them would butt heads until the end of time and neither was ever willing to relent and admit they're wrong.

She entered the apartment quietly, trying to put off the inevitable conversation that was waiting for her.

"No, see you left yourself open for attack that way." Miles's voice filtered out from the living room down the hall and Nora decided it would be better to sneak into the kitchen.

"Yeah, but then I can take your queen."

She stopped short at the sound of Charlie's voice. _Has this bitch been toying with me_? Was it only around her that she played the mute card? She had this vision of uncle and niece chuckling at her stupidity while she was gone, enjoying nice long conversations together.

"Hi," she detoured into the living room. Miles was facing her, Charlie's back was turned.

"Hey. How did everything go?"

"Slow but making progress. They want to see you tomorrow." he made a face at this and she focused her laser stare on the girl's back. "Nice to hear that voice of yours Charlie."

She turned slowly and smiled awkwardly at the older woman. Miles glowered slightly at Nora, hearing the shortness of her tone.

"Hi Nora. I'm s-" she stopped speaking, her eyes glancing at her uncle. Nora didn't miss the swift kick of his foot into her ankle. Giving up, Charlie turned her attention back to the chess board. Nora gave Miles a look and he pushed the chair back, standing quietly.

"Give me a minute." he pointed at his niece, adding, "Don't change the pieces around. I know exactly where each one is."

He followed Nora down the hallway to their bedroom and shut the door quietly behind him.

"What the hell was that?" she pointed a hand at the door, meaning Charlie, and stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"I know." he lifted his hands, trying to keep her from pitching a fit. "Nora,"

"How long has she been doing that?"

"Since this morning, when she heard you bitching how she needed to head out _and _almost did it too until I stopped her."

"I'm going crazy Miles. I am seriously going crazy."

"Can you try to be a little more sympathetic?"

"I _am _sympathetic."

"Hardly."

"Miles," she brought her hands up to her head, fingers digging into her temples, "How long are you going to put up with this?"

"Put up with what? She's grieving."

"It's been a year!"

"Last time I checked, there was no time limit on grieving. Why the hell are you acting like this?"

"Why the hell are _you _acting like this?"

"Dammit Nora, I don't even know what you want from me anymore." he turned his back to her, running a hand through his hair. "You tell me to be more open, more caring, more... whatever. The kid's lost her entire family-minus me. She's feeling guilty. Now, you're... what, pissed? Pissed because I'm taking care of my niece, who _needs _it?"

She didn't say anything and his eyes widened slightly.

"Are you jealous?"

"I'm lonely. I'm lonely and you're _right there _but I feel like you're a million miles away." she pointed for effort. He stared at her for a long moment. They were never good with vocalizing feelings or emotions or whatever. To see her getting this way was making him uncomfortable because he didn't know exactly how to react.

"I'm just trying to help her."

"By foregoing your own life? How is that helping?"

"Alright, so I've become the selfless one and you're selfish."

"Don't do that."

"Well how else do you want me to put it? You're mad because I'm devoting time to her? Because I'm not at your beck and call when you want me for you or your little rebel pals?"

"And so what if that's it?" she spat.

"Because there's bigger things than restoring this place!" he finally exploded. Her eyes widened a little and he sighed, walking past her to the window, and leaned his palms against the panes. "Besides, I tried already."

"And what about us? Are there bigger things than us?" she asked, ignoring his last comment. That was an entirely different story and she wasn't in the mood to touch on that.

"Never known you to be the sentimental type."

"No, you just never paid attention to it before."

"That's not true." He wanted to say that he paid attention to everything, cared about her deeply- _loved _her even. That he had felt that way all those years ago and had been a complete idiot and asshole to leave her. That he thought about her everyday but was too damn proud to go back to her, tail between his legs. She had been right- he got scared anytime he got close to anyone. She was right now. He knew he had been neglectful; partially because his attention was constantly on his niece and partially because, he still didn't know how to handle Nora and, at the risk of sounding like a woman, was plagued by the thoughts that she wasn't going to want him.

"So what's it going to be?"

"Why can't it be both?"

"Because you don't know how to handle both."

"I told you this morning, I'm not telling her to leave." his voice was quiet and she blinked a few times, ignoring the stinging sensation at the corners of her eyes. He turned to face her and lifted his hands slightly, dropping them in defeat, not sure what to do. "But I don't want you going either."

"Then things are going to have to change. She needs help. Real help, Miles. Not, you sitting with her till the sun comes up."

"Yeah."

"It's time to stop defending her. No more saying she'll snap out of it. There's a serious problem here. She... she can stay here as long as she wants or needs to but there's no reason for her to be hiding in here, wasting away. That's no way to live."

They returned to the living room to find Charlie staring out the window with a dazed expression on her face.

"Hey," he sat in the chair next to her, causing her to twist her head in his direction. He stared back at her for a second, heaved a long sigh, and ran a hand down the side of his face. "I know I told you this morning that you can act however which way you want and I still believe that. I respect that. You can take as much time as you need to... get through this. It would be better though if you... if you had some help."

"There are a few people I've gotten to know during the restoration. They used to be psychologists before the blackout and helped people during it and now, especially. Business kind of has been booming for them." Nora offered up. Charlie looked at her for a moment, then looked back at Miles.

"If that's what you want me to do." she said quietly.

"We just want you to start feeling better," he replied, squeezing her knee gently. He glanced upwards at his girlfriend, adding, "Both of us. Maybe it would be better to talk to someone you don't know. Not as... not as, judgmental I guess if you feel like you can't tell us things. It's entirely up to you. I think it's a good idea but the decision is yours."

She appeared to be thinking the proposition over and then shrugged in a noncommittal sort of way.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't."

* * *

Nora watched from their bed as Miles stood at the door, which was slightly opened, and listened intently for any noise coming from Charlie's room. She imagined that this is how he would be if they had a small child, which sent a sharp twinge of regret through her system.

"You can leave it open if you want." she told him softly. She knew this was a large step for them. She didn't know Charlie to sleep in her room at all and she didn't remember the last time she went to bed with Miles-or woke up with him.

"I think she's asleep." he muttered, finally turning to their bed and joining her. He reached over and turned the light on the nightstand off, plunging the room into darkness.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting."

"Don't worry about it."

"I do though. I feel bad. I," she took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and decided to bite the proverbial bullet, "When you left me, I, it took a long time to uh, get myself back together. I don't, now that I have you again, I don't want to risk anything."

Eyes now adjusted to the dark, she glanced over to find him with his head turned in her direction. She could picture the look on his face, that intense stare he always gave.

"You were right in saying that I was selfish." she added, then laughed slightly. "If I were you, I'd have kicked me out."

"No, I wouldn't make that mistake twice. I, ah, regret a lot of what I've done but leaving you... that definitely ranks high on the list." he sat quietly, thinking _if we're making confessions_ and continued, "I love you. I don't say it enough, or ever actually, but I do. I'm really glad you're here because you're the only level headed one out of us right now. We'd probably crash and burn if we didn't have you."

"Never knew you to be the sentimental type." she threw his own words back at him, causing him to chuckle. "You mean it?"

"Hundred percent. You sure you want to hang around here? I can be a pretty big jackass."

"Nothing I can't handle."

He pulled her against him with his arm and buried his face in her hair. She brought a hand up, touching the point where his neck and chest met gently.

"Thank you for coming back."

"Thank you for finding me."


	3. Chapter 3

"You're getting better at this." Miles said, hiding his smirk as he moved his knight to take Charlie's bishop.

"Sure, it's not a total massacre. I still have three pawns and my king." she muttered, scanning the board. She managed to take four of his pieces-unimportant ones at that. "I think you cheat."

"Me? Never. Are you going to admit defeat?"

"I don't think I have a choice."

"Probably not."

They began to disassemble the board and after a moment of silence, Charlie asked, "So what's she like?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Nora trusts her though, so that's good enough for me." he kept his eyes down though, not entirely believing himself.

As if on cue, the door to the apartment opened and Nora's voice filled the air, followed by a southern accent.

"...really had nothing to do with it. It's a little weird staying here when you think about the other people, important people, who have. Miles?"

"In the living room." he cast a glance at his niece as they stood, adding, "Be nice."

"I'll try my best."

He knew it was he who had to worry about being on his best behavior. As soon as Nora entered the room and he got a look at the so-called psychologist, he felt skeptic. The woman was dressed casually in light blue jeans and a black sweater. Her blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail and in his opinion, she looked to be only a few years older than Charlie was, but in actuality was nearer to his age. How exactly was she supposed to help?

"This is Charlie." Nora stepped forward, putting an arm over her shoulders. "Charlie, this is Megan Pierce. And this is Miles."

"It's nice to meet you both. Nora's told me a lot about both of you."

"Hopefully only the good things." Miles commented, smiling slightly, which got a few chuckles out of the women. After that, they stood in an awkward silence for a few moments. _Isn't she supposed to take control of the situation? _

"Alright, so we'll leave," Nora finally said, dropping her arm from Charlie, who looked slightly bewildered and shot Miles a somewhat petrified glance.

"Unless you want us to stay." he added quickly.

"It probably doesn't work if there are other people in the room."

"It's entirely up to Charlie." Megan interjected calmly. She smiled sweetly, waiting for the response to come. Charlie glanced between the two, torn between telling her uncle to stay, but nervous of the look on Nora's face. She was trying hard to stay out of the way during the past week, not cause too many problems.

"It's... okay. You can leave."

"Are you sure?" he seemed skeptical of her answer and she nodded slowly. "Fine. Fine, we'll be outside. Right there,"

He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the door that let out to the four step stoop in front of the townhouse. His niece nodded in response, trying to hide the fear she felt. Nora gently nudged him out of the living room, telling Megan,

"Feel free to help yourself to whatever you can find."

The door shut quietly behind them, leaving another awkward silence.

"Do you want to sit down?" Megan gestured to the couch, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Sure." they both sat and Charlie made sure to put enough space between them. _How do we even know who she is? She could be part of the Militia, family of someone we killed, trying to take advantage of us. Now I'm here, alone, with her. No, Nora would know. Nora wouldn't let anything like that happen. Unless Nora is trying to get rid of you. NO! No, stop thinking... _Her eyes scanned the room quickly, taking note of where she knew a few weapons were stashed. "Um, so, how does this work?"

"We just talk. You can talk about anything you want. I'd like to get to know you a little bit if that's okay."

"Okay." she wiggled into the cushion, trying to get comfortable. She highly doubted that it was going to happen. Megan tipped her head against her fingers, a smile on her face.

"You don't need to be nervous. You say what you feel comfortable with. I won't pressure you or push topics. Okay?" she waited for Charlie's silent nod, then nodded herself. "Good. You're close to your uncle, aren't you?"

"I, well, yeah, I guess. He's, he's the only family I have." she had never truly thought about it before. When she began her journey to find him, she never expected them to become like this. She supposed she had hoped that it would happen. Now she couldn't imagine having anyone more important to her.

"Was he important to you growing up?"

"Oh, no, I never knew him when I was younger. I mean, I remember him coming to visit once or twice. I just, we really met last year when, when," she trailed off.

"It's okay. He's done a lot for you. You lean on him, expect him to take care of you."

"No, I don't at all." she said quickly. "I feel horrible being here."

"No," Megan laughed gently, shaking a hand, "he's your protector. I saw that as soon as I walked in the room. You stood close to him, just behind him, like he was your shield. He looked quite defensive in fact, as if he didn't trust me. He doesn't want you hurt. Now on the other hand, you're not as close to your aunt."

"I," she wanted to argue, say Nora wasn't her aunt, but relented. "I haven't known her long."

"You've known her as long as you've known your uncle, haven't you?"

Charlie brought a hand up to her hair, tucked it behind her ear, and shifted her glance sideways.

"Hey, I understand. Why don't you tell me a little bit about your childhood. Where did you grow up? What did you do for fun? Any favorites?"

"Um, I was born in Chicago and after, after the blackout, we wound up in Wisconsin. I always liked exploring. I liked seeing pieces from the past." _Fun? All I did was look after Danny. _

"Siblings?" the question was innocent but she stared at the older woman. Hadn't Nora told her _anything_? Or was she supposed to tell her story in her own words?

"I have... had a brother. Danny. He was two years younger than me."

"I'm sorry. You were close."

"I don't... I don't really feel comfortable talking about him." She felt tears stinging her eyes and there was a lump in her throat. "Can we..."

"Change the subject? Sure. What do _you _want to talk about?"

"I... I don't know."

"This wasn't your idea was it?"

"No."

"Why did you agree?"

"I want to make things easier for Miles and Nora."

"You think you're making things hard?"

"I'm not the easiest person to live with... lately, I mean."

"Why?"

"I... a lot's happened. I, I don't sleep. For a while, for a long time, I wasn't talking."

* * *

"How long is this going to last?"

"She said forty-five minutes."

Miles glanced at the battered watch on his wrist and sighed, pacing along the edge of overgrown sidewalk. Nora sat on the steps, her back against the iron railing, and watched him.

"She's fine, you know."

"Except I don't know that." his eyes flicked towards the window, even though he couldn't see them.

* * *

"You know, the root of your... struggles is with your family and what happened. I know it's painful but talking can be cathartic. You need to let go. Bottling it up just makes it worse."

The more they talked, the more Charlie curled into her corner of the couch, balling up until she couldn't move anymore. As much as she wanted to do this, just for her uncle's sake alone, she wasn't ready to let go. She wasn't ready to face what had happened. And worse? She couldn't imagine it being much worse than it already was.

"Do you want to finish up for today?" Megan asked gently. "We still have ten minutes but I won't mind."

"Okay."

"Okay. Did you ever keep a journal?"

"No."

"I think it'd be a good idea. Write down what you're thinking, feeling."

"Sure." she doubted she would give it a shot.

"Thank you. I'll come by next week, same time?" she tilted her head slightly, "Is that okay with you?"

"I guess so."

"Okay. I'll send your aunt and uncle back in on my way out. It was nice to meet you Charlie."

She mumbled the sentiment back and brought her hand to her mouth, biting on a nail. She felt like Miles was back in the room before she could even blink.

"How was it?"

"You're not supposed to ask." Nora scolded him, appearing at his shoulder. "Don't you remember doctor/patient confidentiality?"

"I'm just seeing if she's all right."

"I'm fine." Charlie said softly, though she kept her eyes off theirs. "It was okay. We just talked about general stuff."

* * *

"This is what I'm talking about."

"I don't want to hear it." Miles groaned lowly as Nora dug her fingers into his back muscles, relieving the knots she found. "You ever think that _you're _causing me stress?"

"Not nearly as much stress as _you _cause me." she retorted. He rolled his eyes into the pillow and exhaled a long breath. "I think today went well."

"She seemed no different."

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Waste of time, what it was."

"Hey, we agreed." she poked him roughly in the shoulder and he nodded. She moved a hand up onto his neck, rubbing there, and eliciting another groan from him. "You're the most impatient person I have ever met. Did you expect her to come out and declare her healed?"

"I was hoping for it."

"Well sorry to burst your bubble but you and I both know it doesn't work like that."

He was quiet for a moment, then muttered, "I feel useless."

"You've done plenty for her." she moved from where she was sitting over his waist and stretched out next to him. "Not many people would."

"A few days ago, you were ready to kill me for it."

"I thought we got passed that. We're both adjusting, aren't we? I should know better than to try and get in the way of that protective streak of yours."

They stared at each other for a moment before he leaned over and kissed her, burying a hand in the loose strands of her hair.

"Been a while since I've seen it like this," he gave a gentle tug at the curls and she gave a dazed smile, brushing her nose over his. She turned onto her back and he followed suit, settling over her. "Missed it."

He pulled at the hem of her t-shirt, causing her to lift up enough for him to pull it off. She sighed deeply as he slowly kissed around her torso and dug her fingers into the top of the comforter.

"Mm, I missed this," she murmured, making him chuckle against her hip bone.

"Just this?" he tilted his head up, smiling boyishly as he gazed up the length of her body at her. She shook her head no in response, brushing her hand over his cheek. He turned his head slightly, kissing the tips of her fingers.

It was then that Charlie released a blood curling scream from her bedroom, jolting them both out of their stupor.

"Jesus," he was off the bed in a second, tugging a shirt over his chest, and was out in the hallway before Nora had a chance to sit up. She quickly mimicked his actions though and when she reached the other bedroom, Charlie looked wild-as if she had been chased rather than sleeping. Chest heaving, shaking terribly, she finally let Miles hold her and when she did, she collapsed into sobs clinging to him like he was her only life line.

Nora turned away quietly, not wanting to intrude, and knew he would not be joining her anytime soon.


	4. Chapter 4

_I killed my brother._

Charlie stared down at the four words, the only words, she had written in the journal Megan had suggested. She sighed, pressing the heel of her hand into her eye, and stood from her bed. Two more sessions had occurred and she felt as though they were making no progress. She knew Miles was getting frustrated-thinking it was Megan's fault and she knew Nora was frustrated-thinking Charlie wasn't trying hard enough. She _was _trying but everything seemed to be getting worse. Her nightmares had increased tenfold. She saw Danny, his disappointed stare, at every corner. She saw Monroe standing over her, grinning through bloody teeth whenever she closed her eyes. Heard the shot that killed her father, every shot she had fired, whoosh of arrows flinging, swords clashing.

_If I had just stayed at home, I could have stopped him. Dad wouldn't have died, Danny wouldn't have gotten taken, and would still be alive. _

A cool breeze was blowing through the open window, a sign of the impending spring. She would go to the kitchen, grab a glass of orange juice, and sit on the porch with her notebook. Maybe today she would write something more than those four words.

She made her way out into the hallway and was almost to the kitchen when she heard them speaking.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Nora's voice was thick with emotion-sadness, anxiety- and Charlie had half the sense to pull back slightly. One part of her knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping but the other part was pleased that Nora had more emotions than anger or annoyance. It had been a long time since she had seen anything else from her. "I don't understand what the problem is."

"You don't understand?" Miles sounded beyond frustrated and shocked, as if he couldn't believe what she was saying. There was something else, Charlie cocked her head, listening closer. He was... scared? No, not possible. "You don't understand?"

She ducked into the living room as she heard footsteps, then poked her head around the corner, to see them both standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"It's not ideal, I know, but-"

"There's a real understatement."

"Why are you being like this?"

"Why? In case you haven't noticed, things are pretty shitty around here at the moment!"

"Oh! Of course! Forget what's happening with me, with _us_! God forbid we upset Charlie even more! I can't imagine what would happen if I pulled you away from her for more than five minutes! Imagine, someone else having to take a portion of your time!"

"It's not just Charlie! What about you? You, insisting that we need to keep helping your friends get this country back in order, rejoining the republics, and all that."

"What happened to there are bigger things than restoring this place?"

"Y'know—I, forget it." he turned on his heel quickly, heading towards the door.

"Great! Just great! Here you go, same thing as last time! Just fantastic!" she glowered at his back, hands on her hips. Charlie could only stare on with wide eyes, wondering what exactly was going on. "You're really going to do this? You're going to walk out on me a _second_ time?"

He stood silently in the doorway, hand on the knob as the breeze blew in a couple dead leaves at his feet. Finally he stepped out onto the porch, slamming the door behind him. Nora stood still for about three seconds, then turned back into the kitchen. Charlie took a step forward, wincing as she heard glass breaking from the room. She peered around the frame of the door to find Nora standing at the counter, hands braced against the granite, with her back to the door.

"Nora," her voice was tentative, wanting to help some how.

"Oh dammit, Charlie, no one asked for your two cents!" she snapped angrily. The girl silently stepped back, watching as the older woman swiped at her face with her hand. She had a strong suspicion that she was crying. Seeing she was clearly not wanted, Charlie quietly left the townhouse, stopping short as she found Miles sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. She froze and glanced between her uncle and the inside of their temporary home. There was no way she was going back in the house. Maybe she could just sneak around him. She sighed inwardly, knowing that wouldn't happen. After all the times he had sat with her, it was the least she could do for him. She sat down next to him, hands pressed between her thighs, and stared across the street.

He didn't react to her presence and she wasn't going to press the matter. Instead she wondered about his relationship with Nora. Sometimes they could be almost volatile towards each other. How the hell were they even together? She never saw them be affectionate. Half the time, they didn't talk. They seemed to have nothing in common besides the fact that they both knew how to wield weapons and good at plotting attacks, neither of which probably wouldn't be occurring a lot any more. Part of her knew she was trying to fit them into her parents' molds, who were always openly loving towards each other and seemed perfect for one another. The other part told her one: not all couples were the same and two: maybe they didn't seem like they were in a relationship because _she_ wasn't exactly allowing them to have much of a relationship.

"How much did you hear?" Miles had finally lifted his head and was now leaning his forearms on his knees, hunched over at the waist.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she lied smoothly. "I was going to try and do some writing and I found you out here."

"Right," he smirked at this but didn't argue.

"Are you okay?"

"Interesting question for not knowing what I'm talking about."

"I mean, people aren't usually sitting on their porch looking like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders." she hesitated, then added, "Nora didn't look too good either when I passed by the kitchen."

"No, I imagine she doesn't," he answered slowly.

"Is everything okay?"

"I really don't know." he rubbed a hand over the back of his head and snorted quietly. "Oh hell, you'll find out soon enough. Nora's pregnant."

"What?" her mouth fell open and her thoughts instantly turned back to their argument. _You're going to walk out on me a second time? _"Whoa, wait—the, her, _you_?"

"Ben didn't teach you about babies?"

"No, I mean, the first time she was, that was yours wasn't it?"

"Oh." something shifted in his expression and he exhaled a long sigh, then nodded. "Yeah."

"And you _left _her?"

"I never said I was the greatest guy Charlie. People... make mistakes."

"Aren't you supposed to learn from them though?"

"Am I going to get a morality lesson from you?"

"I just don't really understand why. I mean, you don't seem like the type to just walk out on your pregnant girlfriend."

"I appreciate the thought but I'm actually a real shithead. Yes, I walked out on her. I didn't want a kid. I didn't want the responsibility. I was too busy, y'know, trying to fix the world, or so I thought. She did want it so I left. And now, here I am again, in the exact same situation."

"Did you know-"

"About how she miscarried? Yeah. It's why I left."

"Why you left the Militia?"

"Yes. Nora wasn't always on the side of the rebels. She wasn't exactly on the side of the Militia either but she did do a few runs for Bass when he realized her talents. We had met one night. Bass was always into throwing a good party, even when he was rising to power, and she came with a friend, who I guess you could say was Bass's groupie. We hit it off, were together about a year, she told me, I freaked and ran, and never told anyone why. Bass saw her with another officer a couple months later, thought she had cheated on me, and being the loyal friend he was and trying to defend my honor, sent a few of his men to rough him up a bit. Nora got in the way, and end of story. I left."

"Does she know this?"

"No."

"Well," Charlie rocked back on her palms, "don't you think you should tell her?"

"No."

"I don't know. It seems to me like that shows how much you really cared. I mean, after all you did as a general, and... and my mom, you'd think there'd be a lot other things that would have made you leave sooner. It took someone harming _your _family, _your child_, that made you see the light and go. You're not a shithead. You just... freak at first." they sat silently for a moment, he digesting what she had just said, when she added, "But I'm mentally incapacitated so maybe I'm not the best person to listen to."

"Don't talk like that." he stood up, pushing his hands off his thighs.

"Oh. I'm sorry, if I upset you."

"No, no, you said exactly what I was thinking." and she had. He knew that was exactly what he thought but didn't want to admit it. Having a third party reiterate the facts relieved some of the guilt he felt. "I'd stay out here for a while if I were you."

"I had no intention of going back in." she opened her notebook, pulling out the pen.

"And I meant you're not mentally incapacitated."

"Nora's right. You need to stop making excuses for me."

He glanced back at her but said nothing, instead quietly entering the townhouse. Nora stood in the kitchen, picking shards of glass out of the sink. Every so often, she let out a sniff, making him feel worse than he had been. Maybe he had been wrong. Sometimes, she wasn't strong enough to pick a fight with him. It seemed like this was going to be one of those times.

"Don't touch me." she shrugged at his hands, trying to get him to release her. "I'm not kidding. I'm not in the mood for you."

"I wanted to come back." his voice was low in her ear and he stepped closer, re-positioning his hands so he was hugging her. "Would you have let me?"

"Yes." she answered without hesitation. "But that was then."

"Oh, I'm not allowed to stay anymore?" he sounded slightly humorous and she scowled into the sink. _I hate him _she thought _I truly hate him. _

"Fool me once..."

"I wasn't going to leave. I wanted to get away before I said something I really regretted." he thought back to Charlie's statement and added, "I freak out first, you know that. But I told you, I wasn't going to make those mistakes again."

She relaxed slightly against him.

"So you're on board?" she asked quietly.

"Sure."

"Oh that sounds reassuring!"

"I am. Of course I am. Just a fair warning, I don't know anything about babies."

"Neither do I."

"Awesome. We're off to a great start then."


	5. Chapter 5

"I need to pick up a few things, run a couple errands."

"Okay." Charlie did not turn at Miles's statement but kept her eyes on the notebook, still only four words written. Another week had passed. Her session with Megan had been canceled, much to her relief.

"I'd like it if you came." he added quietly. This made her lift her head in curiosity and she glanced over her shoulder to where he stood.

"What?"

"Come with me."

"Ah, no, I'll pass but thanks."

"It wasn't an option."

"You said you'd _like _it if I came. That implies I have a choice."

"Alright, Miss Semantics. Let me rephrase it for you. I'm going to run errands and you _are _coming with me."

"What if I don't want to go?"

"You don't want to go because you're scared and you haven't been out of this house in months."

"I go outside."

"To sit on the porch. I don't even think you've stepped onto the sidewalk." he took a few steps towards her. "Is this what you want to do? Stay in the house the rest of your life?"

"No."

"Alright, well, we need to make an effort to go. We're not going to be long. I'm going to be right there. Do you think I'm going to let something happen to you?"

"No."

"Good answer." he held the blade of a dagger, offering her the hilt. "And just in case, you can stick this in your boot."

"So I'm just supposed to keep myself armed and dangerous?"

"Until you feel comfortable otherwise, why not?"

* * *

The large crowd made her feel about as big as an ant. It felt as though they were coming at her from all sides. The National Mall was now one giant outdoor market, crammed in between the dilapidated Washington Monument and the Capitol. Charlie followed just a few short steps behind Miles, who moved through the crowd with a purpose, picking up various items and foods. Often he looked back to make sure she was okay. She wasn't entirely paying attention because her focus was on the people swarming around. _What if someone decided to start an attack? What would happen? Who are these people? Are any of them sympathizers of the Republic?_

She gasped as she bumped roughly into someone, catching their shoulders together.

"I'm sorry," she put out a hand in apology and the person, a man closer to Miles's age, glowered at her. He sneered as he past by, muttering a curse, and she quickly caught up to her uncle, her fingers grazing his under the sleeve of his jacket. He glanced down at her, saw the panicked look in her eyes, and curled his hand around hers protectively, pulling her along with him.

"I'm almost done."

"Miles," a voice called out, catching both their attentions. Still somewhat suspicious of others as well, he gave a surreptitious glance over his shoulder, then visibly relaxed. He was never quite sure who he was going to run into but nowadays, the rebels were in charge while the tattered remains of the Militia were forced underground.

"Jackson." he turned to face the older man, who stopped just a few feet short of them. "How's it going?"

"Fine, just fine. Missed you at the last two meetings."

"Nora hasn't been feeling too well. Trying to keep her happy, y'know." he flashed a quick smile. "I'm sure everything is going according to plan though?"

"Yes, of course." Jackson muttered, eyes flicking over Charlie, who practically had half her face hidden in Miles's shoulder. The look wasn't unnoticed by her uncle.

"Sorry, this is my niece, Charlie. Charlie, meet Jackson Roman. He's working on the Restoration."

"Nice to meet you. Can we expect to see you helping out soon?"

"I...I'm not too sure. Maybe."

"You're not sure?" he raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

"Charlie's a little too young to remember what life was like," Miles supplied. This seemed to appease Jackson, who turned his attention back to Miles and began a conversation. As they spoke, Charlie's eyes wandered over the crowd, then wandered back and settled on a person standing in the next row of tables. He seemed to be watching her, a small smile on his face. She lowered her eyes to the ground, refusing to look up again.

* * *

"So that's it?"

Charlie nodded silently, staring out the window she sat at. Megan sat in one of the armchairs, the notebook open on her lap.

"It's very cryptic."

"Why?"

"How did you kill him?"

"Does it matter? He's dead."

"Did you kill him? Or do you _think _you played a hand in it?" she asked quietly. Charlie let her eyes slide shut and the scene came to life before her. Every detail seemed to stand out. The battle between Miles and Monroe. Her mother weeping in the corner. Her own decision to join the fight, which then pulled Danny in. "Charlie,"

She opened her eyes but did not turn to face Megan.

"I might as well have done it myself," she said softly.

"You think you could have stopped it."

"We had him in Noblesville. I was standing right there. I could have grabbed him and jumped off the train. If Nora hadn't put the damn bomb on the train, maybe Miles could've helped me." she felt anger rising at the memory, then reined herself in and sighed. It wasn't Nora's fault what had happened. "And when we finally got to Philadelphia, I couldn't find him. I looked _everywhere _and we decided he had to be with Monroe."

"And?" Megan probed gently a few minutes later when Charlie didn't continue. She shook her head in response, frowning at the window. "Charlie, I know this is difficult but at some point you need to let it all come out. Do you think that living like this, is... is some sort of penance for what happened?"

"It doesn't matter now."

"It does. It matters a whole lot. Charlie, you don't have to be ashamed that you survived. I'm sure that if your parents and your brother saw how you're acting, they'd tell you to stop. They don't want you to be like this."

"You don't know them. You don't know what they would want."

"The way you've characterized them makes them seem like they're not these vengeful people as you seem to feel they are."

Charlie leaned her head against the window, trying to tune out Megan's words. Was that what it was? Survivor's guilt?

"What do you want me to do?" Megan asked. "How do I help you?"

"I want you to tell them that I'm fine and I can get out of here."

"You want to leave."

"Nora doesn't like me. They're having a baby. I'm... I don't do it on purpose and I sure as hell don't want the attention but Miles is too worried about me. The sooner I can get out of their hair, the better."

"And where will you go? What's your plan? Or are you just trying to save them misery and don't really care what happens to you?"

She hadn't thought that far and her lack of response only proved Megan's point.

"Do you think he wouldn't try to find you if you took off?"

"Out of sight, out of mind."

"He's your family."

"He has his own family."

"You said Nora doesn't like you?"

"No."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. Things changed over the year. We got along fine during the first couple months or so but then..." Charlie trailed off, knowing exactly what had changed.

"But then?"

"She got sick. She got injured and the wound was infected and we needed to get medication. Miles knew someone who made penicillin and they agreed they would fork it over but, but they wanted me to do a favor in exchange. I didn't want her to die. I didn't want someone else hurt because of me so I agreed but Miles stepped in, to save me."

"I don't think he'd let anything happen to Nora though. I'm sure there was another plan in place."

"There was but if that had failed, she would have died. He picked me over her. They weren't together at that point, it was later on that they... decided to be whatever it is that they are. But still, he picked me. I... I think she resents me."

"That's a difficult decision to make." Megan eyed Charlie for a moment, head cocked pensively to the side. "Do you wish he had chosen her instead?"

"Yes."

"What else happened between you two?"

"After that, things were just tense. I always felt guilty and, well, like I said, I think she resents me."

"Shouldn't she be mad at him rather than you? You did sacrifice yourself, or at least try to, in order to help her."

"She was mad at him. But it was after that, actually, just a little while later, that they got together."

"It put things into perspective for them."

* * *

Charlie continued on, unaware Nora was sitting in the kitchen, able to hear every word. She stared down into her tea, stirring it every so often, and frowned. She had often wondered why she could quickly lose her temper with Charlie. It wasn't that she didn't like her. She definitely did. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew a big portion of the problem lied with the fact that Miles _did _choose to rescue Charlie before her. What was stopping him from making that decision again? Plus, she felt guilty about the Noblesville affair. Miles could have gotten Danny-_would _have gotten Danny if he hadn't had to focus on retrieving her bomb. She had jeopardized that plan. Then it had become the wild goose chase to Philadelphia and ended bloody. It was easy to accept the consequences of her actions but when she was constantly staring at a reminder of those actions, it was harder to accept them.

"Thought I'd pop my head in," Megan's voice broke through her thoughts and Nora lifted her head quickly, plastering a smile onto her face, "say hey."

"Hey. How is she?"

"Making some progress."

"Is that the truth?"

"There's a lot to work through. How are you doing?"

"Oh, Megan, I'm not the type to be analyzed."

"I'm just asking as a friend. There's a lot going on right now. How are things?"

"Fine. Just fine."

"You sound like Charlie." the blonde smiled gently. "I know you overheard her talking. It must upset you that she thinks that."

"Yeah, I guess it does." she responded quietly, taking a sip of her drink.

"If you ever want to talk, let me know."

"I'll keep it in mind but I doubt it'll happen."

"I won't analyze you, I promise. Sometimes we just need a shoulder to lean on."

"I have Miles but thank you."

"Are you telling him everything?"

_No. _"Yes."

"That's good. Honesty is important in a relationship. I'm going to get going. I'll see you next week."

"Have a good night." it felt like she held her breath until she heard the door shut quietly. She took another sip and made a silent promise to try harder with Charlie. Neither of them were going anywhere so it was important that they got on the same page.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late, past midnight, when Miles finally entered the townhouse after a long day of meetings. No, not meetings, he would call them arguments. God, it had been so much easier setting up a government when it was just him and Bass. Now there were people crawling out of every woodwork, every republic, wanting to add in their two cents. You would think that it would be simple-reinstate the Constitution and life would go on. No, turned out that some people weren't too pleased with how the US government had been going before the blackout and now, they felt it was time to make the pertinent changes first. Each Republic had their own laws and each expected them to be fitted in somehow.

He ignored the temptation of food and bypassed the kitchen, heading instead straight for his bedroom. On the way, he stopped at Charlie's door and poked his head in. She was asleep, though her face was furrowed into a frown, and the small lamp on the nightstand was still on. He contemplated shutting it off but then wondered if she had left it on for a reason. Quietly, he continued on to his room, easing the door shut behind him. Nora was asleep, or he assumed so at least, as she had her back to him. He kicked his boots off near the closet, then shed his t-shirt and jeans before climbing into bed behind her. Settling into place with an arm under his head and the other around her waist, he brushed his mouth over her exposed shoulder, and shut his eyes with a deep sigh.

It had only be a minute or so when he felt her turn around and her arm wrapped around his chest.

"How was it?"

"Unbelievably shitty. Actually, no, it was pretty believable and expected."

"I didn't think it would take this long."

"Took fifteen years to wreck it, it's going to take just as long to fix it."

"It fell apart quicker than that."

"I don't want to talk about it now. I'm tired of talking about it." he rolled onto his back, pulling her gently with him. She squirmed next to him, finding a comfortable position on her side, tucked against him with her head on his chest, her forehead nestled under his jaw. He turned his head slightly so his cheek was on her hair and muttered, "I don't want to do this anymore."

She didn't respond at first, took the time to contemplate his words, and shut her eyes. She didn't want to either.

"I think we kind of have to just see it through at this point." she finally said, her voice soft. "I want it to be over just as much as you do but I, I don't want to just leave it. I don't want it to be like this for, for the baby."

"Yeah, I know." because he felt the same way and he wasn't going to give up just yet. He refused to have his kid grow up in a world _he _had a hand in screwing up. He moved his hand off her hip and onto her shoulder, twisting a few strands of her hair around his fingers. "You okay? I mean, you're feeling okay?"

"I guess, for the most part. Tired."

"You were still asleep when I left this morning. And I left late too."

"Yeah, I was expecting it. I mean, I remember..." she trailed off, hugging him a little tighter. "Anyway,"

There was an awkward silence between them. She figured that her previous pregnancy would always be a sore spot between them.

"If you want to talk," he started weakly but she shook her head against him.

"No, it's okay. Megan was here today, making up that session from earlier in the week."

"How'd it go?"

She thought back over what she had heard Charlie saying, guilt building up once more.

"Fine, I suppose. I mean, I wasn't there so I'm not sure what they talked about but after Megan left, she seemed to be in a good mood and she's been asleep a few hours now."

"I'm glad. Sometimes I think it's all a bunch of crap."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

_The truth is, I don't know who killed Danny._

Charlie set her pen down inside the notebook and stared at the paragraph she had written. She sat on the porch in an old sweatshirt and jeans, the cool wind blowing through her hair. The leaves were beginning to sprout on the trees, a sign that spring was definitely on the way. She was glad. The winter, though not as harsh as it had been in the Midwest, was still more than she cared to handle.

"Hi,"

The unfamiliar voice made her pause. She lifted her head just slightly, then looked up completely, surprised to see the young man from the market. He stood with a group of several people-two girls and three guys; all looking to be within a few years of Charlie's age. The five continued to walk on, heading towards the White House, but he stayed, loitering on the edge of the sidewalk, as if he wanted to give her as much space as possible.

"Hi," she responded slowly, allowing her eyes to rake in his appearance. He was tall, at least six foot, with brown hair that was a little long, so strands brushed against his forehead. Green eyes sparkled kindly. He wasn't thin but wasn't bulked up- _like Jason was_, she thought, and noted his jeans were loose and he wore a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Definitely not Jason.

The wind caught the door, which Miles had been in the process of closing as he stepped outside, causing it to slam loudly. Charlie jumped, glancing behind her at her uncle. The unnamed guy looked as well and nodded in greeting. Miles's response was a cool stare over the top of his mug.

"Well, see you around." he waved to Charlie before walking to join his friends.

"Who was that?" Miles stared skeptically after him.

"I don't know. They just walked by and he stopped to say hi." she twirled the pen in her fingers, wondering if she should- "I saw him at the market the other day."

"Really?"

"I didn't talk to him. I just looked over and he was staring at me. Do you think he followed us?"

There was an underlying tone of panic in Charlie's voice that made her uncle shake his head, even though the same thought had crossed his mind.

"No. We're in a close vicinity to the Mall. A lot of people still walk around. It's possible he's a neighbor. He didn't look like Militia to me." he glanced down at her, covered up a smirk, adding, "Clothes actually seemed to fit him properly."

She giggled at that and he smiled, appreciating the sound. It was very few and far between that he heard a true laugh from her.

"How'd you sleep?" his question sobered her up fast and she shrugged in response. "You seem like you did okay."

"I think the exhaustion is catching up to me. I don't remember dreaming at all."

"Sometimes that's what you need. Did everything go okay with Megan yesterday?"

"I guess so. I don't, I mean, I guess it's working but it doesn't feel like it."

"I'd say last night showed it's working somewhat." he took a long sip of his coffee, running his free hand through his hair. "Alright, I'll leave you alone. I just wanted to see where you were. Do you want any breakfast?"

"No, I'm okay right now. Thanks though."

"Okay." he glanced in the direction the friends went in, then down at his niece. "Why don't you go for a walk?"

"I'm okay here."

"Right, alright, I'll see you later then." he stepped back into the house, making sure to leave the door unlocked, and retreated to the kitchen. He was too busy thinking-about how long the eggs had been cooking and who exactly the guy was-that he didn't realize Nora sneaked up on him until her arms were snaking around his waist. She laid her head between his shoulder blades with a laugh when she felt him jump.

"Did I scare you?"

"Just caught me off guard."

"You're losing your touch."

"Probably. You're domesticating me."

"Mm, I tamed the wild beast." she murmured. Her hand slipped under the front of his shirt, fingers trailing over the muscles she found. "Where's Charlie?"

"Outside. I wasn't expecting you up so soon."

"I want to go to some meetings today." she had skipped the last few days, sending him in her spot instead. She knew it wasn't a big deal-it wasn't like they were held to any sort of standard. There were levels of superiority and her current ranking, both their rankings, allowed some leeway. Still, she didn't like to take advantage of this because there needed to be stability not every one deciding to come and go as they pleased.

"The monthly city meeting is today. Do some brainstorming. Hear what everyone's thoughts are." he turned the stove off and turned so they were facing each other. "Oh and the George Federation delegates are arriving as well."

"Sounds like I picked a good day to come back."

"Yeah, fantastic." she detected the sarcasm in his tone and she lifted her chin to look him in the eye. There had been some slight issues on the previous visit with the federation.

"If he's coming, don't... just, be civil."

"I'm always civil."

"I should be grateful you don't carry a sword anymore."

"Who says I don't?"

She murmured his name, half chastising but it melted into a sigh as he leaned in to kiss her.

"No, you don't get to do that." she mumbled, tilting her head back slightly. "You're just...being distracting now."

"Why?" he lifted his hands to cup her face, not giving her much room to work with. Noses and foreheads brushed and she sighed again.

"Because you're trying to make me forget about Hamilton and the fact that you _punched _him the last time you saw each other."

"My hand slipped."

"Mil-" he cut her off again with a kiss and she relented, pressing against him because she knew there was no reason fighting him.

Charlie, intending to grab a drink, stopped in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt but also wanting to see them interact. Both were oblivious to her presence and it was then that she finally saw that spark between them that she had been looking for. It wasn't that they weren't attentive or emotionally closed off. They just didn't show that in front of her. The tender look in her uncle's eyes confirmed that, as did Nora's content little smile when his hand grazed over her flat stomach before giving her another quick kiss.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." Charlie put up her hands in an apologetic gesture when Miles saw her out of the corner of his eye. "Just getting something to drink."

"No problem. Why don't you eat something?"

"Not yet. I'll leave you guys alone." she grabbed the pitcher of orange juice from the refrigerator and poured a glass for herself, silently noting the blush on Nora's face.

"What do you have planned today?" the question, especially the fact that it came from the other woman, caught Charlie off guard.

"Uh, nothing, I suppose."

"Why don't you come with us to the town hall meeting? A lot of people go, talk about what they want to see fixed. It's only a couple hours."

Her eyes slid to Miles's, hoping Nora didn't catch on, and at his slight nod, she nodded as well.

"Sure, I actually think that'd be a good idea."

"Great." a genuine smile crossed Nora's face, causing Charlie to smile as well. She grabbed her glass, lifted it in a silent salute, and left the kitchen. Nora, feeling slightly proud of herself, grinned at her retreating figure as Miles kissed the back of her head gently.

"Good job."


	7. Chapter 7

Nora had not been kidding when she said a lot of people turned out for the town hall meetings. Charlie stayed close to her and Miles as they made their way into the old Senate chamber of the Capitol building. They spoke quietly to each other, hardly touching-though he did keep his hand on each of them as he guided them through the crowd.

Charlie remembered Aaron's lessons when he taught her about math, science, English, and history. She took a moment to look around the massive room, thinking of the important people who had sat in these chairs and crafted the laws of the United States.

They sat her between them, hoping that would give her some comfort. Miles stretched an arm over the back of her chair, fingers brushing at Nora's shoulder. He leaned over and they began to converse quietly, though Charlie did not pay attention. She was too busy scanning the crowd to listen to them. Her eyes landed on a group standing near the front of the chair, almost near the large podium. A man, maybe five or six years older than Miles, stood with a younger man and woman, who seemed to be his children. A third man, in between the ages of the former two, came up and stood next to the woman, his arm weaving around her shoulders. Charlie recognized the younger man to be the mystery man from that morning. He glanced over his shoulder, caught her eye, and smiled slightly.

"Who is that?" she directed her question at Nora seeing as Miles had not known him earlier.

"That would be Nicholas Phillips. The two are his children- Andrew and Laura. The other man, I believe, is Laura's fiance."

"Is that so?" Miles glanced in their direction as well, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Alright, I'll give my seal of approval."

"Miles," Charlie sighed, turning bright red at his insinuation. "Who are they?"

"Nicholas worked in the White House when the blackout occurred. He's been a large contributor to the restoration." Nora explained.

"He worked there? Why didn't he do anything?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask him."

"Are a lot of these people from the government?"

"No. Hardly any of them are."

"How did it get to be you and Monroe leading a portion of the country?" Charlie twisted her head to look at her uncle.

"It's difficult to explain and I'd appreciate it if you kept your voice down slightly." Miles retorted, looking around the immediate vicinity. Though most people were aware who he was, he still didn't like the attention that came with it. He also knew some people were still skeptic of his loyalties, even after working together for eight months. He didn't blame them. He wouldn't trust himself either.

They continued to speak quietly as they waited for the meeting begin, though Charlie's attention was focused on Andrew, who turned and glanced at her every so often. She felt a blush form on her cheeks at the attention. She didn't want it, had no need or use for it. The last-and first- guy to stare at her like that had been Jason and _that _had turned out so well.

"If everyone could settle down, we'll be starting in a few moments," the deep voice caught her attention and she looked up to see Jackson Roman standing at the podium. He turned away from the microphone and spoke quietly with several others standing near him. It dawned on Charlie that she had no idea what had been going on these past few months. All she knew was they had power, a quasi-government was trying to form, and the clean up process was slow moving. She heard whispers between Miles and Nora but had never made any connections. Thinking now, she wondered what it was like out in the world at the moment. She had seen the deserted cars, the overgrown land, wrecked trains and planes. How were they getting rid of all that? Was any of it even working anymore?

"How long is this?" she asked, leaning close to her uncle. He shrugged in response, eyes scanning the group assembled at the podium, glad that he wasn't the one up there. He had done the last meeting and that had been enough to last him a while.

"Depends on what everyone has to say." he responded.

"We'll begin now." Jackson leaned forward, bracing himself on the edges of the podium. "First, I would like to thank Frank Hamilton, Evelyn Shepard, and Robert Jenkins from the Georgia Federation for coming here today to continue our efforts."

There was an amicable applause, though Charlie noted Miles did not applaud but rather scowled, lounging back in the chair. She assumed that the three assembled behind Jackson were the three that had been named.

"Now-"

"We still don't have power." someone shouted. Charlie turned slightly to see behind her but Miles pushed her shoulder gently, keeping her forward.

"Yes, we know that there are many areas that are still without power. We are constantly working on that."

"Really? Cause it seems like y'all are sitting here comfy in the capital while the rest of us are still struggling."

"It's going to take time to get the power completely running once more. The reason the capital is functioning as it is is because we need a base in order to help the rest of the community. There are steps and protocols that we must follow." Jackson looked unruffled and flipped through his notes on the podium. "As always, there are electrical crews being sent out to assess the areas. The hospital is looking for more staff."

And on and on it went. They looked for people willing to help at the hospital, the school, law enforcement. They discussed advancements-the hospital was low on supplies, they needed more teachers, they all appreciated how controlled the city had been, not giving too many serious problems. It seemed to Charlie that most of the people were disgruntled and displeased with how the restoration was coming along.

"When are we going to see products being manufactured again? There are tons of cars sitting out there and no gas. What about telephone lines? Contacting other countries?"

"As I said earlier, there are steps we need to follow. Right now what is important is getting the framework in place. We all want telephones and indoor plumbing and gas for the cars and planes and trains. We need to build up from the basics though. Let's get the hospital in gear, let's get the law enforcement in gear, and most importantly, let's get the government back in gear. It'll be easier to have one unified approach."

* * *

"I told you it was bad." Miles muttered. They had called for a fifteen minute break and now they stood near the back of the room, where someone had set up a table of drinks.

"I just don't understand." Charlie shook her head, unable to believe what she had heard.

"Did you think everything was going to be fixed with a snap of our fingers?"

Nora threw him a look, silently warning him to be patient. He nodded, refraining from rolling his eyes. 99.9% of the time, he loved Charlie like she was his own, but governing and politics was a sore spot for him and his pessimism for that would override everything else at the moment.

"Nora,"

Charlie was surprised to see Frank Hamilton walking towards them, a grin on his face. Nora smiled sweetly while Miles scowled at the arrival.

"I'm so glad to see you." For a moment, he looked as though he would hug her but then he extended his hand to the woman, who shook it politely. Charlie noted that Miles's scowl deepened and there was almost a predatory growl in the back of his throat.

"Yes, it is always a pleasure to see you Frank." she said, eliciting a snort from Miles. She entwined her fingers in his, then clasped her other hand over the top of his. A weak attempt at stopping his 'hand from slipping' again. Frank merely smirked, turning his attention to the other man.

"Miles. I see you're still lounging around here. Isn't it about time you deserted your cause?"

"You're one to talk about deserting. No better than me so don't act like you are." he ran his thumb over the back of Nora's hand in response to the hard squeeze she gave him. They didn't need to speak aloud to understand each other. _Don't do anything stupid._ **I know, I know. Relax. **Charlie was about to ask what she had missed when Frank folded his arms, the cuff of his left sleeve riding up in the process. She spotted the Monroe brand immediately and bit her tongue to refrain from yelling. It was obvious the couple knew him, possibly very well.

"If we could have everyone return to their seats, we'll be continuing in three minutes." Jackson's voice boomed through the microphone. Frank smirked, nodded to Nora, and turned to return to the podium.

"What a jackass," Miles huffed.

"He's Militia." Charlie muttered.

"There's that too."

"He's not Militia anymore." Nora said. Miles sighed, giving her a 'really? Are we going there?' expression. "Well he's not. Neither are you."

"He's a coward."

"Miles, not now." she had a pleading tone in her voice. "Let's just finish up here, okay?"

Charlie's head was cocked to the side, curious as to what was going on. On the other hand, Miles gave a short nod, put a hand gently on Nora's back and started leading her back to their seats. Then, he realized Charlie was not following and turned to face her.

"You coming?"

"I think I'm going to sit out here for a minute." she gestured at the door that led to the hallway. He raised an eyebrow but nodded after a moment of hesitation. He wasn't thrilled to let her be out on her own but if she felt that she was ready to make that step, then by all means, he would let her do it. _She sits on the porch by herself, nothing happens to her. Lighten up. _

The truth was, the crowd was giving Charlie anxiety and the reveal of Frank's former allegiance did as well. A few minutes in the empty hallway would help her calm down, or so she hoped. She collapsed onto the ground outside the door, pressing her forehead to her knees, and took several deep breaths. She didn't understand it. There was no reason to be acting like this. Even if there _was _a reason, she was confident that nothing would happen to her. She had witnessed Miles massacring nearly a dozen people on his own. If, on the off shoot chance, there was someone to be cautious of, he would have no problem getting rid of them. _Except when was the last time you saw Miles have a weapon on him? It's been eight months. He's probably out of practice. Someone is going to get the jump on us. None of us are going to be able to fight. _No, no, she refused to believe that Miles was walking around completely weaponless. It just didn't seem likely to her.

"Are you okay?"

She let out a tiny yell at the sudden, hesitant voice, and jerked her head upwards to see Andrew Phillips standing a few feet away, a worried expression on his face.

"I-yeah," she responded slowly, pushing herself off the wall and into a standing position. _Why is he following me? _"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Are you sure? 'Cause you look a little..." he trailed off, his eyes sweeping over her. She took a step back, bumping into the wall, "...upset."

"No. Honestly, just... please, leave me alone." she edged her way back to the door, keeping one eye on him.

"Wait, no, I... I'm sorry." he held up a hand in surrender, as if to say, 'see I'm harmless.' "I'm Andrew Phillips. I saw you come out here. I wanted to introduce myself."

"Nice to meet you." she muttered. At his raised, inquisitive eyebrow, she sighed, adding, "Charlie Matheson."

"Is Miles your father?"

"Uncle."

"Oh." his jaw tightened and eyes narrowed somewhat and Charlie felt anger flair up. Who the hell was he to judge Miles? Especially when his own father apparently lacked the balls to do anything to rectify the blackout.

"Well, nice talking to you." she yanked the door open and quietly walked back to her seat. What a jackass.

* * *

"Why isn't there power everywhere?"

Nora and Miles exchanged a glance at Charlie's question. She looked between them from where she sat at the kitchen table.

"A lot of reasons. Power lines have been damaged over the years. We don't have too many crews to fix it. Substations and transformers are offline. It's going to take time to get everything up and running again." Nora responded first.

"But everything here was working. The lighthouse was working. It seems to me like everything just gets frozen."

"There are different circumstances to every area. You're too young to remember what life was like before. We'd get a snowstorm and the lines would get damaged. You could have a crew out in a few hours, fix everything. How many blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes have we had in the past sixteen years? Just because around here is fine, doesn't mean it's the same elsewhere." she glanced behind her to stir the pasta, then added, "Besides, the power didn't turn on so easily. In parts it did but we had to fix a few things before it was on completely."

"And then there's the other thing," Miles muttered, taking a long sip of his beer. Charlie frowned, waiting for him to continue. "We don't have all the pendants."

"What?"

"I don't know completely how they work. Your... your mom gave me the basics when I found her in Philadelphia. There's supposedly twelve of them. Once they're all together, the power will come back completely. Until then, it's sporadic and the range is limited. Right now, we have five. They're all in a location within the city. We're suspecting that the power is back as far north as Baltimore, as far west as Charleston, and as far south as Raleigh."

"Those people were from the area though. If that was the case, we should all have power."

"Again, add in the current state of some electrical stations. It's not magic Charlie. There has to be the proper situation for the power to work again. If there's no electric conductors, nothing for it to flow through."

"Do you know where the others are?"

"No. It's one of the things we're trying to work on. Right now, it's the least of our worries though."

"How is that the least of your worries?"

"We need to get a government established. That's the top priority. Right now, this is the important place to be in and that needs power the most. Everyone's lived a long time without power. A little while longer isn't going to hurt them."

* * *

_She recognized the room immediately as the bedroom she shared with Miles at the Philadelphia house. It was stripped down completely, walls bare and lacking any furniture. The only reasons she knew where she was was the placement of the fireplace, just to the left of the double doors and also the view of the city skyline from the window. There was no other room in the house that offered that view._

_She realized after a moment that she was not alone. A young boy, perhaps seven or eight, stood near the fireplace. He stared across the room at her, brown eyes filled with sadness. _

"_Why did you let them do it?" his voice was quiet and she moved closer as he repeated the question. She was confused, trying to figure out who he was and what he was asking. But then it hit her and she realized she was staring into _Mile's _eyes- same shape, same color. "Mommy, you didn't protect me."_

_The statement tore at her heart and she felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. _

"_I'm sorry." _

"_You didn't care." _

"_No, that's not true." she tried to be insistent but her voice only came out as a weak whisper. The sound of the doorknob twisting caught her attention and suddenly Monroe stood behind the boy, hands resting possessively on his shoulders. "No," _

"_Nora," a smirk formed on his face, "it's been a while." _

_She could only stare, her heart pounding, and she almost cried aloud when he continued to speak. _

"_I need you to do me a favor." _

"_No," _

"_No? But... if you don't," a simple shrug of his shoulders, "well, you know what happens." _

_His hands tightened on the boy's shoulders and his head turned slightly to the left, towards the door. She followed his line of sight and saw the small figure in the doorway, mostly hidden by the shadows. She could see enough to know that it was a little girl, dark curls flowing down her back. The portion of her face that she could see was filled with terror. _

"_No. Let them go." _

"_You're going to do what I say."  
_

"_No." _

"_No? We can always sweeten the deal," he looked to the right and she reluctantly glanced over, crying softly as she saw Miles gagged and tied to the chair, unconscious. Not dead, he couldn't be dead. "When are you going to learn Nora? Nora?" _

"Nora? Nora, honey, wake up."

She sat up straight, gasping loudly as she did. The room was bright and when she looked up, she could barely make out the figure next to her due to the tears blurring her vision. She let out a whimper and recoiled, trying to move away from the person.

"Hey, it's okay. Nora, it was a dream. Look at me,"

_Miles. _She blinked a few times, finally got her bearings, and saw him sitting next to her, staring at her with concern.

"You're okay." he hesitantly placed a hand on her arm in a comforting gesture. She was breathing heavily, heart pounding, as she glanced around the room. It was still dark outside and the clock on the wall read 2:52. She swallowed, trying to dislodge the thick lump in her throat. He waited, not wanting to push or scare her in any way. She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes momentarily. As soon as she did, she saw the kids- _their kids-_ and their looks of terror and sadness.

"Oh God," she cried, feeling the sobs bubbling up. She opened her eyes again in time to see Miles lean over, pulling her against him. She clutched the front of his t-shirt tightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly once her sobbing had subsided. She shook her head silently, her breathing still slightly erratic and tears rolling down her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

There was a long silence but finally, she whispered, "I think so."

"Alright." he pulled back slightly in order to see for himself. He gently wiped her tears and gave a slight smile. "Kinda were freaking me out."

"Sorry." a guilty look passed over her face and he shook his head.

"No, I was just worried. I... I haven't seen you like that since, well, since your dad and Derek died."

"That's bad then." Typically she did not have nightmares. When she did... well, it apparently wasn't pretty. She pulled out of his reach and lay down on her back, one hand falling to rest on her stomach-a gesture that did not go unnoticed by him. He twisted, turned the light off, then settled down on his side, facing her. His forehead rested against the side of her head and she could feel his breath. She felt another round of tears swell up when his right hand came to rest next to hers. She tried hard not to but she sniffed loudly and he sighed lowly, kissing her shoulder gently.

"Nora,"

"I feel like something horrible is about to happen." she whispered. Her fingers fumbled for his, tightening around them painfully.

"It's not. Everything's fine. I promise. I'm not going to let anything like that happen." he lifted his head slightly, peering at her through the dark. "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Just checking." he gave a slight grin before he kissed her. "Try to go back to sleep."

She rolled onto her side, burrowing against him, and he held her tightly. She doubted she'd be able to. She could still see Monroe's leering grin, Miles unconscious, the kids. Guilt flooded through her. She squeezed her eyes shut, begging for empty darkness. Above her head, Miles sneezed and was wide awake, grazing a hand over her back. Between Charlie and now Nora, they were definitely keeping him on his toes. He sighed inwardly, the image of her twisting in the sheets, crying, '_No, no, Miles, please, no, help, Bass don't' _seared into his brain. Why now? Why after eight months was she having something like this? _Please don't let this be the start of something. Let it be an isolated thing. _


	8. Chapter 8

"_Just let them go. They have nothing to do with this. They're just children Bass. Would you really harm a child?" _

"_How hypocritical of you. Where do you think some of those bombs went Nora? You can't blame me. You made them willingly, provided the Monroe Republic with the materials to expand its greatness and power." his cold smirk sent shivers down her spine. His hands still rested on her son's shoulders, who stared pathetically at her. _

"_You were never honest with me. You said they were being used in battles, in scare tactics on people who deserved it." _

"_Well I guess that's lesson number one. Never trust anyone. Do your research. But you're right. They have nothing to do with this. I'll get rid of him at least. You never cared about him anyway." he moved away from the boy, who instantly disappeared. She put a hand out, as if she thought she could grab him. The gesture only made Monroe smirk wider as he moved towards Miles, head still slumped over the ropes binding him to the chair. "Really, wipe that miserable look off your face. You didn't care about him, didn't start thinking about him, until this one knocked you up again."_

"_That's not true." _

"_Spare me. Just do as I say and everything will be fine. I won't do anything to them. Don't act like you're better than this. You enjoyed the power trip you got." _

"_No. I'm not like you." _

"_We're all like me. It's human nature. Everyone wants to be the leader and have unlimited power. Some just decide to downplay it more than others." he examined the table top, then picked up an item. Nora felt her blood freeze as the candlelight glinted off the steel blade of the knife he held. He glanced at her face and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "As far as Miles goes, he deserves every bit of this."_

_He pointed the tip of the knife at Miles, grazing it along his jaw. _

"_And for now, she's fine." he pointed his free hand at the doorway, where the toddler stood, still hidden in the shadows. "After all, I'm not completely heartless." _

"_This isn't even happening! You're dead! I saw you die! Miles killed you!" she couldn't help but sound smug on the latest exclamation. He chuckled darkly and shrugged. _

"_Even if that's true, do you really want to revert into some utopian frame of mind where you and Miles play house and pretend everything's fine? Don't you think there are others just like me? Others who won't... be as sympathetic?" _

Her heart was pounding as she woke up. _At least I wasn't thrashing or screaming_, Nora thought, noting Miles's arm was still wrapped around her waist, her back pressed tightly against his chest. Still, this was the third night that the nightmares had occurred. She sighed inwardly and glanced over their shoulders to look at the clock. It was almost 3:30. She returned to her previous position and shut her eyes once more. After twenty minutes, she gave up and gently peeled Miles's hand away from her, allowing her to sneak out of their bed. She looked back at him as she exited their room, making sure she did not wake him up.

As Nora headed for the kitchen, she noticed a light shining from the living room. She poked her head around the corner, not at all surprised to see Charlie lounging long ways on the couch, her back propped up against the arm and her feet planted on the cushion, causing her knees to be pushed upwards. Her notebook was in her hands and the pencil was flying along the white lines.

"Charlie," she kept her voice soft, not wanting to startle the young woman. She lifted her head and looked surprised to see the other woman.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"No. I... I couldn't sleep either." her admittance was reluctant and she gave a halfhearted shrug. "I was going to make some tea. Do you want any?"

Charlie blinked a couple times and Nora felt guilty, wondering how she became so skewed in her treatment of Miles's-no, _their_ niece. She had to start thinking of her as hers as well.

"Okay, thank you." the acceptance was quiet.

"Okay. I'll be right back." When Nora left the room, Charlie focused her attention back on the journal. She would admit that things seemed to be getting better. She wasn't as hysterical when she woke up, even if her dreams were still morbid and difficult to face. Just hours earlier she had woken up from one where Monroe had turned Danny against her. She felt sick just thinking about it, remembering how her baby brother looked in his Militia uniform, a dead look in his eyes- apathetic and ready to kill her. Of course, that hadn't happened. Still, she had let him down. That was the main theme of her nightmares- their family letting each other down. Every night contained the same elements but the idea changed. Some times she killed Danny, sometimes Danny killed her. Sometimes Miles betrayed them, sometimes Monroe took his sweet time torturing Miles. Strangely enough, her mother never played a role.

"Here," she opened her eyes as she felt the warm glass nudge against her hand. Nora moved around to sit on the opposite end of the couch, sipping her own cup, "it's kind of bland. Ran out of the mint stuff you like."

"It's okay. Thank you." her voice was low, trying to mask the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a long sip, then exhaled a shaky breath. "You um, you don't have to sit here."

"I know." Nora grabbed one of the blankets off the back of the couch and handed it to Charlie. Then she took the other for herself, wrapping it around her legs. "I'm sorry for the way things have been around here."

"If anyone needs to apologize, it's me."

"Please let me finish. I know it's been a rough year for you and I lost my patience many times when I shouldn't have. Even before we settled here, when we were heading for Philly, it seemed like things were spiraling out of control. I felt guilty, especially for what happened in Noblesville. I think, I think sometimes it's easier to lash out than accept responsibility for your actions. Then, with Drexel and what Miles did,"

"I didn't want him coming after me. I agreed to go to the O'Hallarans because I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I said to let me finish. I know what you were trying to do. It's just, things were crazy. A lot of it has to do with Miles." she muttered, taking another drink. "And that's wrong. I was conflicted and aimed it at you. I could have cared less about Aaron. Miles... well, anyway, I shouldn't have expected him to make me a priority over you. If he had, I'd probably be angry at him for that too. Plus, I saw a lot of me in you, especially as the trip progressed, how distant and cold you were becoming, focused on making the kill, and I felt like I could have stopped that. I feel like I let you down in more ways than one. God, if I could go back and change things, I would."

"I feel like I'm in the way. If I leave, things will-"

"You're not in the way and you're not leaving. I needed to understand that your uncle is capable of caring for more than one person at a time." Nora trailed off, lost in her thoughts for a moment, then laughed. "It's funny. I've wanted this for so long and now that it's here, I'm scared."

"He's not going to leave you." Charlie said quietly, causing the other woman to look up. "If that's what you think. I'm sorry that I-"

"You didn't do anything. Charlie, you're the only reason why we're here right now. If you didn't go to him, he would have had no reason to come find me."

"I don't believe that. I don't think you do either."

* * *

Two hours later, Miles woke up, reached for Nora, and lifted his head in confusion. He looked around their bedroom and when he didn't see her, he quietly walked throughout the townhouse to the living room. The sight of the two of them asleep on the couch made his eyebrows raise. Silently, he crept around to the front, standing between the couch and the coffee table. He pulled the blanket off the floor, covered Charlie, then turned his attention to Nora.

He balanced a knee on the edge of the cushion, leaning in towards her. He murmured her name before kissing the side of her head gently. She frowned slightly but her hand came up to his chest, fingers curling lazily into the fabric of his shirt.

"What time is it?"

"Almost six. What's going on here?"

"Mm, long story." she nuzzled her face against the couch, sighing deeply.

"Did she wake you up?"

"No. I came out here. I didn't want to wake you up." she opened her eyes slightly and he saw the dismayed expression clearly. A concerned look crossed over his face, causing her to smile weakly. "I'm fine."

"I'm not too sure about that. Why don't you go back to bed? You've gotta be uncomfortable out here."

"I-" her eyes moved towards Charlie, who whimpered and her knuckles turned white as she gripped the blanket. "I don't want to leave her."

"Go. I'll sit with her until I have to leave."

"Okay." she started pulling the blanket off herself and he grabbed her chin gently, tipping it upwards so he could kiss her. She reciprocated, placing a hand on his jaw. Another distressed sigh from their niece had them pulling apart. He moved, letting her slip by him, and watched as she disappeared down the hallway. He sat himself next to Charlie, and kept a hand over hers, letting her know he was there. He felt her hand relax soon after.

* * *

"That's not what we agreed to."

"If we do that, there's going to be chaos."

"Oh like there wasn't before?"

Miles glowered across the large table to where Frank sat, lounging in his seat. The former general was rigid in his own, hands gripping the armrests tightly. Jackson rested his head on his fists, glancing between the two younger men.

"This has been going back and forth for months. We need to come to a decision soon. If we're going to go back to what the government was like pre-blackout-"

"We shouldn't be going back to pre-blackout government. The government was corrupt! Now, I know you two are going to argue till you're blue in the face. The marine and the congressional aide. The fact is, the Constitution is outdated. It was outdated fifteen years ago. We need to make major changes and I know President Gallagher isn't going to accept what you've offered. What it seems to me is you're hiding the Monroe Republic's code, or rather _lack _of ethics in the old ways of life and that's not fair to anyone."

"Frank," Jackson started but Miles cut him off,

"Look the Plains Nation has agreed. So has Texas. This is on you. We've been holding out for you. Everyone has been willing to make concessions except you. Why Gallagher keeps sending you, I have no idea."

"You're talking about alienating a part of this country. For ten years, the Georgia Federation has been-"

"You weren't even in the Federation ten years ago so stop acting like you're some super loyal patriot who's willing to die for them! You're here cause you're a smooth talker and full of shit. You talk about corrupt politicians, hell Hamilton, you would've fit right in with the best of them."

"You're one to talk. _You _led the shit show that was the Monroe Republic. I'm amazed they even let you step foot in this place."

"Miles has done plenty to help the resistance." Jackson interceded. "So have you Frank. Both of you have your histories but that is irrelevant for now. Now's not the time to get into a pissing contest. We respect the laws the Federation created to keep order for your people. On a whole, there are a few we do not find relevant. I will be continuing these conversations with Nicholas and Evelyn later on this afternoon. We'll meet after I speak to them."

It was clear they had been dismissed and both men began to gather their belongings and stand up.

"Miles, stay for a minute."

Frank glanced over his shoulder, glowering at his former superior, but left the room quietly. Miles turned his attention back to Jackson, who held out a large, thick envelope.

"Intel has gathered some information about a pendant. I know you and Nora have experience with this- you brought the five here- so I'm sending you two to get it."

"Is there anyone else I can take?"

"You would be better off without her?"

"I'd rather she stick to desk work for now." the idea of Nora running around with knives and guns and explosives again made his anxiety run wild. Jackson chuckled, collecting his own paper work, and looked up to meet Miles's eye.

"Something tells me your wife is not going to agree to that."

"She's not-" he stopped himself from correcting the other man. "No, probably not. But she knows better than to try and argue with me. I hope. So, anyone else?"

"You could always take Frank." there was a smirk playing on Jackson's mouth. Miles snorted, walked towards the door.

"I can do this on my own."

"What about your niece? I heard about her part in taking down Monroe. Or do you not want her in harm's way either?"

"I'll look into it."

* * *

"What's this?"

Miles glanced over his shoulder to see Nora standing near the kitchen table, finger pointing at the packet of information from Jackson.

"Nothing." he turned back to the stove, flipped the omelet once more, and waited.

"So you won't mind if I take a look at it then?" before he even had a chance to turn, he heard the rustling of papers, and knew she had simply helped herself.

"Sure, go ahead. Why not?" he scooped his food onto a plate, then held it out to her in offering. She wrinkled her nose, gave a small shake of her head, and continued flipping through the papers. He shrugged and sat down. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then asked, "Did you know Jackson thinks we're married?"

He kept his eyes on the plate but glanced sideways at her, noting how her hands paused in their movements.

"He's said something like that once or twice." she finally muttered. "I think he called me Mrs. Matheson the first time we met."

"Did you correct him?"

"...no. Did you?"

"Nope."

"Okay then." she put the papers down and looked straight at him. "So,"

"So what?"

"Going on a hunt?"

"Possibly."

"Who are you taking with you?"

He dropped the fork and leaned back in the chair, eyes narrowing as he observed her. Her face was passive and he wondered if this was a trick of hers or something like that.

"What?"

"Well, I don't want you going alone."

"You know your name is on it too."

"Yeah, I saw that."

"And you're not going to argue with me when I say you're not going?"

"Why would I argue with you? Though, I will admit I'm torn between thinking, 'how sweet' because clearly you're on a protective kick at the moment but also 'how ridiculous' because you think you can actually control me."

"So you had no intention of coming along."

"No." she pushed the papers back into the envelope, closed the clasp, and looked across the table at him. She smirked at the skepticism in his eyes. "Miles, do you _really _think that I'm going to jump into the action right now?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't want to."

"Well your wish came true. I have no intention of hitting the road anytime soon, if ever again."

"Fantastic."

"You know," she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, "I'm a little offended that you thought I'd want to go and put myself and the baby at risk."

A warning bell began to go off in Miles's head and he forced himself not to waiver under her steely gaze. He glanced down at his omelet, wondering if stuffing his mouth with food would save him.

"That's not what I was implying."

"Sounds to me like it was."

"I just... wasn't sure if you were aware..." he trailed off, knowing that argument was going nowhere.

"Aware of what?" she laughed a little, tilting her head to the side. "That I'm pregnant? No. Thank God for your amazing detection skills. I would be so lost without them."

"Nora,"

"I know you weren't around but it was... I can't even _describe _how I felt when I found out I miscarried. It was terrible, let's just put it that way. I blame myself every day for what happened so why would I willingly put myself in a situation that could possibly end the same way?"

"I... never thought of it like that."

"No, I don't suppose you would have." a hint of a bitter smile flashed on her face. He glanced downward, rubbing a hand over the back of his head.

"Anyway," he started, saw her roll her eyes upward as he changed the subject. He hesitated, then decided to just press forward, "I don't even know if I'm going to do this. It's not like we're the only people who know what they are. It's just a retrieval. Anyone can do it. We didn't create them. We just happened to stumble upon them. I don't want to keep getting tangled in this."

"Well, that's your decision to make." she stood from the table and went to one of the cabinets, searching through the food. He watched her silently, willing himself to say what he wanted to, but in the end kept his mouth shut and continued to eat.


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you going to come by every day?"

Andrew smirked, hands buried in his pockets, as he stared across the sidewalk at Charlie. She sat on the top step of the porch, clutching the journal to her chest.

"Would you like me to?"

"No, actually, I'd appreciate it if you stopped." that much was true. He made her uneasy and she didn't like it. Plus, his earlier attitude towards Miles had not won him any points in her opinion. "You're creepy."

"I'm just being a friendly neighbor."

"Oh you're a neighbor now?"

"I have been. I've lived here longer than you." he pointed his hand towards the right. "I live at the apartment on the corner with my dad and sister. My dad knows your aunt and uncle. They work together."

"Yeah, I heard that." she unclenched her hold on the notebook and reopened to the page she had been writing on before he walked up. She wrote several lines, then looked up, and sighed as she saw him still standing there. "Why are you still here?"

"I wanted to apologize for the other day."

"Sure."

"I do. I didn't mean to be rude or upset you."

"Sure."

"I... I also wanted to invite you to come out with me and my friends." he took his hands out of his pockets, clasped them in front, and gazed expectantly at her.

"No thanks."

"Well, now that the warm weather is coming, someone set up a projection screen on the Mall, near the Reflection Pool. They're going to play a movie or something and have a live band. It should be fun. It's Friday if you change your mind."

"I won't." her short reply made him smirk and lean a hand on the railing. She backed up about two inches, glowering at him. "You apologized and extended your invitation. Please leave."

"You don't like me."

"I don't know you."

"We could change that."

"No we won't." she stood up then, deciding if he wouldn't leave then she would go inside. "Have a good day."

"Movie starts at eight."

"Don't hold your breath." she cast another glance over her shoulder and felt her level of irritation rise when she saw him chuckling. He didn't take her seriously at all and that aggravated her.

* * *

The rain was coming down steadily as she approached the large farmhouse. From the windows, she could see a group of people gathered, hunched over a table. She was led inside after a few minutes and waited patiently for the men to disassemble. They filed by her without a second glance until only two remained.

"Hopefully you have good news."

"From what I could find out, the negotiations with the Georgia Federation have not been going as smoothly as they had hoped. It is holding up the signing of the new government."

"Sounds like Hamilton is holding up his end of the bargain." the younger of two muttered, giving a side glance to his superior.

"What else?"

"They believe they have found a pendant. Mi- Matheson is going to retrieve it." she gripped her hands tightly behind her back and added, "He'll be going alone. Nora and the girl will be staying behind."

"Where is the pendant?"

"In the Charleston area."

"Good. I'm pleased with your work so far Mia. You're proving to be a real asset."

"Thank you General Neville." she glanced at the other man and nodded politely. "Colonel Baker."

"Have a good evening, Miss Clayton." he smiled as she turned from the room and tilted his head, eying her as she disappeared from view. "Well, I'll tell you one thing, Miles is a lucky son of a bitch. Did at least one thing right. Did you ever meet Nora?"

"Briefly."

"Not so different from Mia. Mia's got that edge about her though. Still, I wouldn't kick either out of bed."

"I remember her brother."

"Yeah. Derek was a good kid. Had potential, until, y'know, Bass decided to make a point out of him."

"I wasn't aware they had a sister."

"From what I know, she grew up away from the family. She was the baby. Their mother died shortly after she was born and the father sent her to live with relatives. Not really close to Nora, they met a few times when they were older. Nora tried extending the olive branch but Mia wouldn't have any of it. I would think she's... a bit resentful of the circumstances."

"Only a bit?"

"I guess it's a good thing. After all, it worked out in our favor in the end." Jeremy smirked. "So, I'll head for Charleston-"

"No." Tom cut him off quickly. "You will go to Washington. Keep him from leaving. Do whatever you have to."

Jeremy glowered at the back of Tom's head but gave a short nod.

"Of course."

"And do not speak a word of this to anyone." the general turned slightly, eyes narrowed. "I mean it. I do not need interference from others."

"Whatever you say, General." there was a slightly derisive tone to his voice as he exited the room. He glanced up the stairs to the second level of the house before stepping out into the rain.

* * *

"I think you're having a hard time separating reality from fantasy."

Charlie narrowed her eyes at the window, seeing Andrew pass by with his friends. She turned her back to the glass as she saw his head turn towards the window. Megan stared at her patiently, waiting for her response.

"Why do you say that?"

"Many of the words you use. 'I think', 'maybe', 'I'm not sure but'. Charlie, do you remember what happened? I mean, what really happened, not what you _think _happened."

"Yes." but the hesitancy is clear in her voice.

"How much do you remember?"

"I..." her breathing became shallow and her tongue darted out, wetting her chapped lips. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to go back to that day.

"Charlie," Megan's voice was quiet, "You changed your story since last week and the week before that. Your entries conflict each other."

"No, I'm telling you what I know."

"Then explain it to me. All of it."

She nodded, collecting her thoughts. It was so simple. She had used the brand on her arm to get past the guards. From there, she had crept into the kitchen. No. Her eyes flew open in a mixture of surprise and confusion. She hadn't been in the kitchen. She had gone through a window that gone into the basement. She had let Miles in through a door. No. Miles let her _out_. No. No, they were definitely together.

Megan saw the conflict brewing and stood quietly. Charlie didn't seem to even realize.

"I'm going to give you a few minutes to think things over. Take your time, okay?"

Charlie gave a slight nod as Megan walked out. She could hear Miles and Nora in the kitchen, voices lowered to a hushed whisper.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked, standing in the doorway. They both looked up, tension clear in their eyes.

"No." Nora forced a smile onto her face. "What's going on?"

"The only way I'm going to be able to help Charlie is if I know the full story. She's not giving me that and I don't think she can. At first, I thought we were making progress, but it's becoming more and more clear that I'm getting a different take each time we talk. I'm almost positive that this is some sort of defense mechanism triggered by her stress and grief. I don't want to think that she's doing it on purpose to hide something. The fact is, we're never going to get anywhere if we keep going in circles like this. I would appreciate it if you two came and sat in on the session today and talked about what went down. Maybe it will snap her out of the confusion when she hears your version." she gazed at the couple, who glanced at each other, then back at her. "When was the last time you discussed what happened?"

The silent response and awkward gaze told her all she needed to know. She added quietly, "I see. Then, I think it would benefit all of you."

"Fine." Miles was the first to stand, pushing the chair away from the table. He glanced down at Nora, who nodded in agreement and followed. Charlie was sitting in the same position, the concentration clear as she frowned at nothing in particular. She looked up in surprise when she realized they were in the room with her.

"We're going to try something different. I want to hear what your aunt and uncle have to say. I want you to listen carefully to them." Megan explained.

"Where do you want us to start?" Nora asked quietly.

"The night before you went to Danny, when you laid down the plan that you were going to enact."

"We were going to split into groups. I would go with Aaron and Miles would take Charlie. Neither of them were... exceptional fighters so we thought it would be best to separate. I was going to stage a diversion in the back of Independence Hall, to get the Militia away from them so they had enough time to find Danny."

"See, I told you." Charlie interjected. "That's exactly what happened."

"You said were." Megan ignored the outburst, keeping her eyes focused on Nora.

"Yes. Were. Until Miles decided he was going to go on his own."


	10. Chapter 10

**EIGHT MONTHS EARLIER- JUST OUTSIDE PHILADELPHIA**

The sound of a branch cracking nearby forced Nora out of her sleep. She opened her eyes slowly, listening for the sound again. When it didn't come, she sat up halfway, propped up on her hand, and looked around. On the other side of the dwindling fire, Charlie slept soundly with her thin blanket pulled up to her chin. Aaron was propped up against a tree, seemingly alert. Miles was... gone. The sudden realization had her sitting up completely, the blanket falling off her, and she twisted her body to look behind her.

After a minute or two, she stood up, and walked towards Aaron, who tilted his head up at her with a questioning gaze.

"Where did he go?"

"I'm not his keeper."

"Aaron, tell me where he went."

"He didn't say. I figured he was going to get wood. He only left about five minutes ago."

"Which way did he go?" for whatever reason, her nerves were on edge at the moment. It was as if she just knew he was about to do something stupid. None of them ever left once they set up camp for the night and it was definitely too late to be searching for wood. She felt like screaming at Aaron's stupidity. He pointed behind him and she quickly took off in that direction, knowing she could catch up to Miles if she moved fast enough. She was right. It was dark in the woods but she could tell the figure ahead of her was him. She called out to him, garnered no response, and quickened her pace to almost a run. "What are you doing?"

She grabbed onto his arm, trying to stop him from walking any further. He tried to shake her off but she held tighter, then jerked in front of him, causing him to stop short.

"What are you doing?" she repeated her question, anger spreading as he refused to meet her eye. "Are you running?"

"I need you to go back."

"I'm not going anywhere-and neither are you- until you give me an explanation."

He sighed deeply but did not give an answer. Her hand slipped down from his bicep, to his wrist, and then finally curled around his own.

"I've never known you to back down from a fight."

"I'm not backing down. I'm keeping you and Charlie out of it." he muttered. She stared at him for a long moment, then understood.

"You're turning yourself in."

"It's the only way."

"It is not the only way. I would think that hours of planning proved that."

"It is not going to work." he pulled his hand free, only to grip her shoulders tightly. "Do you understand me? It is not going to work. He will kill you without blinking an eye. You know he will. This isn't your fight."

"Like hell it isn't. And what about Charlie? Do you think she's going to let you go without a fight or that she's just going to give up trying to find Danny?"

"I can get Danny out."

"And how's that? Oh, wait, let me guess. You're going to trade yourself for him."

"Keep an eye out for him."

"He's not going to let him go."

"Danny has nothing to do with this. It's me he wants. I'll send him to find you. Promise me that you'll look after him and Charlie."

"I'm not promising you anything."

"Nora,"

"No. No, I thought I've seen you do some pretty shitty things in the past but taking off in the middle of the night, hoping none of us would realize, this probably takes the cake. I mean, at least the other times, you were upfront and honest with me."

"I'm trying to keep you safe! I'm trying to keep Charlie safe! Does any of that matter to you?"

"The minute you go to him, what do you think he's going to do? He's going to torture you and he'll send someone to find us. Is that what you want? At least if we go together-"

"If we go together, I'll-" he cut himself off and despite the darkness, she could still make out the pained, tortured look in his eyes and the tightening of his jaw. "Just go back. Stop, stop making this harder than it has to be."

"You're a stubborn son of a bitch."

"The same could be said of you."

"Really? Do you think it's a good idea to piss me off further when I just caught you sneaking away?" she snapped. "What happened to sticking together?"

"I told you."

"That's all bull. You know either way, something is going to happen to us."

"He will stop it if I just go!"

"And did you really think we wouldn't follow after you? Honestly, tell me what you thought would happen."

"I thought that none of you would come looking for at least a little while and by then, Danny would be on his way to you. Charlie would be too preoccupied worrying over him."

"And what about me?"

"We're really going to go there?" he lifted a hand off her shoulder, scratched the side of his nose, and stared off into the trees.

"Yeah, we really are."

"Two weeks ago, you were ready-no you _did _do the same thing."

"That was different! I wasn't going a damn suicide mission!"

"But you were willing to leave."

"You let me go." the edge disappeared from her voice and her shoulders slumped. She knew better than to let herself get worked up over him. She knew better than to get involved with him. So why, when he showed up to rescue her in Illinois, did she immediately fall into that familiar rut with him? She knew eventually this day was going to come and now she was cursing herself, trying not to cry in front of him.

"You think I wanted to? You think I want to go and do this?" his voice was low and he spoke slowly, as if he needed to keep his emotions in check.

"Then don't. We can go together. It'll be easier together."

"If I know you're there, that Charlie is there, I..." he trailed off, tongue darting out over his lip, "I won't be able to concentrate. Every time we get ourselves into some situation, I-I _cannot_ get distracted this time."

His voice dropped to a whisper and she stepped closer to him, hands coming up to cup his face.

"Miles,"

"I can't be worrying about you two. It is better if you stay here. He has the pendant, and now he'll have me. He's not going to send anyone to find you. Even if they do for whatever reason, you have a better chance of fighting here than inside with me. He's not going to waste his time to get you. If you're there, in the way, he'll take full advantage of it simply because he can. That's why I need you to stay away and not argue with me about it."

She leaned up on her toes and kissed him, her hands sliding to the back of his head. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close for a moment, then let her go.

"No,"

"Yes," he reached behind his head for her wrists, gently pulling her off. He lowered his arms to his sides, and kept her hands in his.

"I'm giving you till sunrise, just like we planned."

"If I see you anywhere near there,"

"What are you going to do?" she challenged. She saw him huff in annoyance, then turn his gaze back to her. "I told you that night, I wasn't going through this again. We both had our one time to leave. No more. That was the deal. So either you are coming back here with your nephew and Monroe's head on a stick or I will see you there."

"You're not going to let this go."

"No." she glanced up through the branches, to the position of the moon, then back at him. "I'm going to say it's about midnight, maybe one. That gives you at least five hours."

This time, he initiated the kiss and she immediately knew that it held the same intention as the one she had given him only days before. She pulled away just enough so their mouths were free and told him,

"No, not saying good bye. And if you go in with that kind of attitude, then you sure as hell aren't coming back out." she kissed him back, forcefully this time, and when they stepped away from each other, he ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly. She smiled, seeing the faint dazed expression on his face. "There's your incentive."

* * *

"Hey, you. Stop."

The voice was young and tried to come off as authoritative. Miles smirked to himself as he approached the gate that encompassed his former house. He put his hands up in a surrender move and stared at the soldier standing guard. The light from the torches illuminated his face. He looked younger than Charlie. Miles refrained from rolling his eyes upwards. Apparently, his plan lacked any sort of dignity whatsoever.

"This is the private property of General Monroe." the gun in his hand wavered and Miles had to wonder what the hell Bass was thinking putting such a weak guard on duty.

"Yeah, kid, I'm aware of that."

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"He's not going to like it when he hears you turned away Miles Matheson."

"What." the word came out as a flat statement and Miles swore the kid's face paled to humorous proportions. "You're-"

"In the flesh," he held up his hands as if to say, 'ta-da.' "So, if you'll just get someone to take me up to the house, that'd be great. I would ask you but I'm sure you're too busy guarding the gate."

"I'll... I'll have to detain you."

"Feel free." he held his wrists out in front, waiting for the cuffs to be put on. The soldier could only gape at him. "I know, I know. You were told to look out for some crazy-eyed madman who was fearsome and would slice you into bits without a second glance, right?"

"Something like that."

"Sorry to disappoint. Are you going to detain me or what?"

Within minutes, more soldiers appeared and one, a Captain North, took great pleasure in dragging Miles into the house.

"You don't remember me do you?" he opened a door and threw him bodily into the room. He stumbled, landing hard against the large oak table, and suppressed a groan. The other man yanked him up by the collar, getting directly in his face. "I trained with you, General, back about, oh maybe nine years now. You enjoyed making an example out of me. Now, it's my turn to repay the favor."

"Fantastic," Miles's head snapped to the side as North's fist connected with his jaw. "Apparently I toughened you up so I assume a thank you would be in order."

"Shut the hell up. Imagine how it will be when the general comes down and finds out I was the one to bring you in. I'm sure a promotion will be in order."

"Yeah, except when he finds out I turned myself in. Not sure how he'll feel about you using me as a punching bag either, all because you've got a grudge."

"Don't worry. I'll leave a part of you for him to have some fun with." he got in another punch, this one near his eye, and was reeling his arm back for one more when his name was called.

"Captain North." the cold tone of Bass's voice made both Miles and the captain freeze.

"General Monroe." North released Miles and turned to face his superior. Miles collapsed partially against the table, breathing heavily. "I brought Matheson in. He was wandering the perimeter."

"Thank you. Your services are no longer needed."

North quietly left the room, shutting the door behind him. For a moment, Miles and Bass were silent, sizing each other up. The latter looked rumpled, as if he had just been dragged out of bed and threw on any clothes he could find. His white dress shirt was wrinkled, half buttoned, so very unlike Bass. Or at least, unlike Bass Post-Blackout.

"What, did I wake you up?" Miles asked dryly, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the wood floor.

"Always have to make an entrance, don't you Miles?"

"Figured I'd have to get your attention some how. I came on my own, by the way. Told the kid at the gate "

"Did you really? And why would you want to do that?" Bass paced around in front of him, hands on his hips.

"Maybe I left a little prematurely."

The statement stopped Bass mid-stride and he tilted his head, smirking at his best friend.

"Am I witnessing the great Miles Matheson admitting that he was wrong?"

"You're willing to take me back."

"What makes you think that?"

"You wanted me back alive. If you wanted me dead, you would have ordered it."

"Or I wanted you here so I could kill you myself."

"Bass," Miles smirked, spreading his hands out before him, "you couldn't kill me anymore than I could kill you. Let's be honest with each other. I have no intention of hurting you. Look, I'm unarmed."

He gestured to the lack of weaponry at his hip, kept his eyes locked on the other.

"You really want to come back."

"Yes. Life isn't as... fulfilling. Took me a while to realize that."

"What did it?"

"Getting back out here. I'll admit that I wasn't thinking about it when I started out but, the longer you're on the road, you begin to see how life is. You can't live with your head in the sand, right? Only one way to live in this world and that's by being at the top. Kept running into people who remembered me, telling stories of the good days. Quite the ego booster. You were right about Nora by the way."

"Well, it took you long enough."

"So?"

"So what?"

"You wanted the bloodthirsty General Matheson. You've got him. I'm sure you heard stories from the men, hearing how I slaughtered many on the way from Chicago."

"You slaughtered my men."

"Well I couldn't damn well kill rebels. Nora would have had my head and I would've landed myself in hot water. I couldn't just take off either. I had to wait for the opportune moment. If you want some proof for how serious I am, I'll order a firing squad in here right now."

Bass smirked widely, gave a chuckle, and walked towards the liquor cabinet.

"I always hoped this day would come."

"So is that a yes?"

"You're lucky I trust you. I know it was nothing more than some lovesick, high school drama shit. Miles, if she hadn't gotten in the way, none of this would ever have happened. I know that's all this is. But, bros before hos, right?" he flashed a grin over his shoulder and for a moment, Miles felt it was fifteen years earlier. "I'm sure the Militia will be glad to have you back. They... always listened to you better than me. You terrify people."

"It's always a pleasure."

"Your room is still fixed up for you. I'm sure you'll find some uniforms in there. Unless you had a growth spurt or something."

"Nah, they'll be fine."

"Good. I'll give you a wake-up call in the morning. Why don't you get settled in, General?"

He grinned at the title and waited until Bass was almost out of the room.

"Just one thing Bass."

"What's that?"

"You're going to let Danny go."

He paused in the doorway, then slowly turned to face Miles. He stared for a long moment, then smirked.

"Why should I?"

"He doesn't bring anything to the table."

"Rachel seems to think otherwise. All that maternal instinct, I suppose."

"I can handle Rachel. We don't need Danny." he gave the darkest glare he could muster, waited for his friend to crumble. "I can be much more effective. You know that. In fact, I'll make it my first order of business."

"I'll let you do the honors in the morning. Get some sleep."


	11. Chapter 11

Nora stared at the light peeking through the tree branches and rubbed at her eyes with a yawn. She turned her eyes to Charlie and Aaron, both still asleep. After reluctantly allowing Miles to leave, she had returned to camp and tossed and turned until it was her turn to stand guard. She didn't bother waking Charlie for her shift. She knew she was too on edge to sleep and at least she could have seen if Miles was returning. Logically, she knew he wouldn't be. At this point, Monroe probably had him tied and gagged and was taking his time inflicting pain on his former best friend. How the hell was she supposed to sleep, knowing what he was facing?

Knowing she couldn't wait any longer, she moved to wake up the other two. Aaron had hardly said two words since earlier and once Charlie was mostly awake, her attention turned to her uncle's absence. This was only spurred on by Nora tucking one of his forgotten sword's into her belt.

"We need to get going." she said quietly, holding out the second, shorter sword to Charlie.

"Where's Miles?"

"I think he went to surrender. He was gone when I woke up and left everything here." she half lied. She didn't want her knowing that she was a willing participant in Miles's half-brained ideas. "It doesn't matter. The plan is still going to be the same. I'm going to make the diversion at the Hall. Aaron will come with me. Charlie, you're going to sneak in, using the brand. You'll have an easier time of getting in. It'll still be early when we get there. There will be guards but not as many as there will be later on in the day."

She reached for her pack and pulled out the Militia uniform she had stolen a few weeks back. She held it out to Charlie, who stared at it for one long moment, then stood silently and headed off to change.

* * *

He didn't sleep that night. How could he sleep knowing Nora was sitting on the cold, hard ground of the woods thinking he was being tortured when in reality he was sitting in their former lavish bedroom with Bass acting like everything was fine and all was forgiven? He was 'woken up' by a pleasant young woman-she reminded him of Charlie, he thought with twinge in his chest- who informed him, "General Monroe requested that you join him for breakfast."

Miles thought that although Bass was all smiles and happy to have him back, he didn't trust him as much as he insisted he did. It was imperative that he regained his trust, no matter how long it took. Though it would have been nice if it happened sooner rather than later.

After a long breakfast-Jeremy and Neville were also in attendance so Bass could fill them in. "We'll make a more formal announcement this afternoon," he explained- Bass took his time taking Miles around the city, showing off the changes he had made over the past seven years. He noted that they were never completely alone together. Then, finally, they entered Independence Hall. The only thing Miles wanted was to get to Danny. Bass wanted him to sit in on meetings, strategy sessions, and meet with new allies.

"He's fine," he insisted, "honestly. He's been living like a king since he got here. A few more hours isn't going to make a difference. I wouldn't do anything to your family."

Miles knew Bass well enough to know how he played with words. Yes, he wouldn't _personally_ do anything to his family but Miles was sure Strausser or some other interrogator was currently paying his nephew a visit.

He had a strong suspicion that Bass was trying to keep him occupied. He was not in a position to argue, not yet at least. He stared out the window during a strategy session, noting that it was well past noon. How long had they been sitting here? Breakfast had taken an hour, perhaps an hour and a half. It had taken another fifteen minutes to get into the city. Their scenic tour had gone on far too long in Miles's opinion.

Something was definitely going on and with a sinking feeling, he realized it had to do with Nora and Charlie. The sun had been up for more than six hours now, which meant his deadline of sunrise had come and gone. He knew his girlfriend was stubborn enough to not back down from her threat of storming Independence Hall. It explained a part of Jeremy and Neville's apprehension. It explained Neville, currently hunched over Bass's shoulder, whispering fervently into his ear. This was the seventh time Miles had counted the man entering the room since they had sat down, seemingly giving updates on something.

"I think that's all for today Lieutenant." Bass dismissed the man sitting opposite them. He saluted, gathered up his maps, and strolled out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Miles did not miss the look exchanged between Bass and Neville. "Come on, we're going to go for a walk."

His fears and suspicions were confirmed when they went down to the basement where the holding cells were. He saw Charlie first, curled against the stone wall, blooding oozing out of her nose. Her eyes were half open when she saw him and immediately perked up in relief. She sat up straighter and leaned forward, ready to stand up, then stopped. Confusion took over her features as she observed him.

He bit back the guilt he felt and turned to the next cell. Nora seemed uninjured, minus a large bruise forming on her cheek. She stood against the bars, arms crossed over chest, and glowered at him. They stared at each other for a long moment. She looked hurt and angry at seeing him in 'general mode', understandably, and he tried to remain neutral. Miles glanced at Bass, who was smiling. It was clear that he was enjoying this.

"These three were caught trying to stage an attack early this morning." he pointed to Nora, Charlie, and Aaron, who Miles had failed to see hidden in the corner cell. "Almost succeeded too. I've got to say, Nora, I'm impressed. Took out three armed guards all on your own. My, how times have changed."

She slid her eyes from Miles to Bass, then back without a word.

"I'm assuming she thought you were in distress and tried coming to your rescue." he continued, chuckling a little. "What happened? Did you walk off in the middle of the night without a word?"

Miles licked his lips then turned to face Bass completely, unable to look at Nora any longer. She looked about ready to reach through the bars and throttle him.

"Didn't want to blow my cover. You've had them here all this time?"

"Yes. Aaron here has been in interrogation for two hours. He hasn't given up anything important. I doubt he even understands what's going on. I thought we could hold off on the ladies until we were finished with what we needed to do."

There was a challenge in that statement and at the glint of metal in his hand, Miles realized what Bass expected him to do.

"See, I thought that maybe this was all a trick." he said quietly, holding out the dagger, "You were going to distract me while Nora planted the bomb, and Charlie would save baby brother. None of which happened by the way. But I told myself to give you some slack. Like you said last night, you came willingly to me, unarmed, and didn't try to hurt me. We could never do that to each other. Why do you think I kept you on such a short leash today? I wanted to see how you reacted, if _the _General Matheson was back. I saw the same... desperation in your eyes from when we first started, all those years ago. You understand that I need to be sure though."

They both looked down at the dagger between them, then back at each other. Bass smiled coldly, waiting for Miles to accept it. Slowly, he took the hilt in his hand, trying hard not to have a panic attack. It would be so easy to stab him now but with Neville and four armed guards, the three of them trapped in cells, and him with nowhere to run, there was no way any of them would make it out alive. They would be shot before Bass even hit the floor.

"You're asking me to torture one of them." he said flatly, raising an eyebrow.

"Unless you have a problem with it."

Miles let out a soft laugh of disbelief, unable to comprehend that it had come down to this. Bass grinned, interpreting the laugh as though Miles couldn't believe Bass actually thought he lacked the balls to do something.

"I didn't think you would."

Silently, Miles turned, knuckles turning white as he gripped the dagger, and approached the cell Aaron was in.

"Oh, no. Sorry, I didn't make myself clear." Bass stopped him and he turned his head, saw him gesturing a finger at Nora, then as almost an after thought, at Charlie as well. "One or the other. He doesn't count. I could just as easily do that myself."

Miles had known that was what he had meant. He had been trying to prolong the inevitable. _You could just turn the damn thing on yourself, _he thought, glancing at the short blade. He knew though that was not a feasible option. He would sacrifice himself without a second thought. It would make no difference though. Bass, like a petulant child who was bored with his toys, would merely toss them aside and make someone else to clean up the mess.

"Am I putting you in a tough position?" Bass taunted. "Let's see if I can make it easier. You haven't known her very long."

He pointed at Charlie, now standing at the bars, with one hand, "Then again, she is your blood. On the other hand,"

He dropped his left hand and raised his right, walking directly to Nora. He reached through the bar and touched the side of her face gently, "You did tell me I was right about this one. I could understand feeling loyal to your niece but if there are no feelings between you two, then this shouldn't be so hard. If it were me, personally, I'd be able to do either. I'd be able to do anything for the good of the Republic. Remember, Miles, the end justifies the means. You taught me that."

Miles stood frozen between the two cells, eyes slowly roaming between the two women in his life. His lover and his niece. Both stared at him with pathetic looks, tearing at his heart. How the hell was he... he wasn't. There was no way he was going to be able to willingly put a knife to one of their throats. _You have to or you'll all be killed. You have to play the part. _

"Jesus, Miles, it's not like I'm asking you to kill them. A little slice here or there isn't going to do much damage. I know you have it in you. A few years ago, you would not have even blinked an eye. I mean, let's be honest. When you took Rachel captive, you were not as accommodating and she was family."

"What?" Charlie's voice was meek and Miles reluctantly glanced at her. She looked like he had just run over her dog. Bass laughed loudly and rubbed a hand over his hair.

"She doesn't know? You've been with her four months now and she doesn't know _you're _the reason she doesn't have a mother?" he moved away from Nora's cell and peered closely at the younger woman. Charlie cringed and pulled away but he grabbed her wrist tightly, keeping her from moving. "Yes, Charlotte, Uncle Miles demanded your mommy come help us and she agreed. It took some time for her to actually warm up to us but it happened eventually. Amazing what you people would do for family. If you're good, maybe I'll think about letting you see her. She's just down the hall."

He released her and turned to Miles, hands held up in a 'what are you waiting for?' gesture.

"Who's it going to be?"

"This isn't necessary. Let's just-"

"You're not in the position to be making negotiations. You were the one who told me last night that you would gladly prove yourself and your loyalty. Now, I know it's not a firing squad but I liked the poetic symmetry of this idea better." Bass waited a moment and when Miles still did not move, he chuckled darkly, "You know, you're not making things better for any of you. I'm really beginning to think I was right. If that's the case, then I will gladly bring Strausser in. I think he's just starting with Rachel right about now. That could always wait though. I'm sure he won't have any struggles over this one little job. The best part of it all is you can watch."

At the lack of response, Bass turned to Neville, "Tom, why don't you go get him?"

"Fine." Miles snapped the word out, clenching his teeth tightly. Strausser wouldn't be as kind, as if there was any way to be kind about this sort of thing. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Perfect. Corporal Meyers, if you could be so kind as to open the cell that General Matheson chooses,"

He hesitated, then turned to Nora's cell. He knew how Bass worked, knew that Nora was more of a key player in this sick game than Charlie. In fact, he probably could care less about Charlie. It had nothing to do with pendants or power. This was Bass's own little dig at Miles. It was a seven year grudge that he refused to let go. It was the ultimate test just to see how much Nora mattered. If Miles chose Charlie, Bass would know why, and would take even more pleasure in torturing Nora just in order to screw with Miles. As sick and twisted as it was, he knew that if he took control of the situation, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it could turn out to be.

"No!" Charlie smashed her hands against her cell. "Miles, don't! I don't care if it's me."

"Shut up," Bass barked at her, turning his attention back to the couple. Nora glared at him over Miles's shoulder and he smirked in return. "Did you think he was going to pick you over me Nora? You were finally going to get the happily ever after?"

She tuned out his voice, pressed herself against the wall, and stared straight at Miles. He was glad his back was to Bass, just so he didn't see the distraught expression that was most likely on his face. _I'm sorry_, he mouthed at her. She only lifted her chin defiantly and waited. He grazed his eyes over her, focused on a spot just below her collarbone, and leaned in towards her as he lifted the dagger, mouth close to her ear.

"I didn't know he'd do this," his voice was low enough that only she heard him. "I thought if I went back like I did, I'd have a better shot at him. I should have told you."

He gritted his teeth when she whimpered in his ear as he moved his hand. He stepped back from her, eyed the thin line of blood forming along her chest, and turned back to Bass.

"Is that good enough?"

"It's perfect. We'll come back later. You can... play with her a little more then."

Miles did not miss the victorious smirk Bass aimed at Nora. _I won, you lost._

* * *

It was after that point, about two hours later, that Bass finally allowed Miles in to release Danny. He stared at his nephew in amazement, the same awed feeling he felt when he saw Charlie for the first time. These kids were babies the last time he had seen them and now they were grown adults.

"Who are you?" Danny's voice was cautious and pressed further against the couch he was sitting on, as if that would protect him somehow.

"I'm your uncle Miles."

"Miles? You're one of them?" the disgusted look only added to the grief he currently felt. "Where the hell have you been? Would've been nice to have you on my side or did you just not give a shit?"

"If you could shut up for two seconds, I'd appreciate it." the awed feeling was gone. "I've been out of town, if you need to know."

He knew Bass was either standing on the other side of the door or had someone eavesdropping for him. He had to be careful with what he said.

"Now that I'm here, you've been given a reprieve." he held out a piece of paper to his nephew, who hesitantly took it. "I want you to go to this address. I want you to go there immediately, understood?"

"Why?"

"Do you want to stay here instead?"

"No."

"That's what I thought. Go there. She'll take care of you for the time being. I'll check on you later tonight. I have something of importance to you." he gestured to the paper and Danny unfolded it. He read the note, in which Miles gave a quick synopsis of the situation, then slowly lifted his head. Miles pressed a finger to his mouth, ordering him to keep quiet. "Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good."

When he left the room, Bass had been called away to an emergency meeting. Something to do with an attack at the republic border, or so Miles heard. It didn't matter to him. He knew this would be his only chance. The only guards in the building would be in the basement and at the front entrance. There were several more stationed outside but Miles knew the paths they patrolled. Bass had always been too comfortable in the security and too arrogant in his own skills. No one in their right mind would try to attack him.

He moved quietly into the basement and swiftly disposed of the first guard. He fell against the wall with a thump. There should have been two guards in the hallway but there was only one. He had his back to Miles as he approached but almost yelled in surprise as the supposed general landed a deafening blow to the center of his face, effectively knocking him out. He grabbed the key hanging off his belt, the gun at his hip, and unlocked the door to the cells. The three of them looked up as he entered.

"Come to do more damage?" Aaron spat.

"Shut up. We don't have a lot of time." he unlocked Charlie's cell, reached down to help her off the floor. She yanked her arm away from his grasp and pushed herself up, glowering at him.

"I don't need or want your help."

He didn't attempt to reply, knew that he deserved all of their reactions. Nora sat against the wall, watching him as he unlocked her cell. She did not move when he entered or knelt down next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, thumb skimming over the scab that had formed.

"I'm sorry. If I didn't,"

"I know." but she still wouldn't look him in the eye. He touched her chin gently, turning her face up to his.

"I had to make it seem like I didn't care. He would've killed you if I hadn't. That whole thing had nothing to do with choosing you or Charlie. It was about me, you, and him. Do you understand?"

"Yes," her voice was quiet and he moved his hand up to her cheek, wiping away the tear that fell. "Did you get Danny?"

"Already gone. Sent him to Evie's. Here," he held out the gun he had pulled off the guard. "Take this. I'm going to let you out a door back here. Follow the hallway to the stairs, then take those to the exit. It's going to come out into an alley. Take Charlie and Aaron to Evie and stay there until I come."

"How long should I give you this time?"

"If I'm not there by midnight, you're getting out of the city." he wanted to berate her for coming in the first place. If she had stayed put, like he had told her to, they wouldn't be in this mess. "I'm not kidding this time. Alright?"

She nodded weakly, pressing her cheek against his hand.

"Alright. Come on," he stood up, pulling her with him, and she took a moment to wrap her arms around him.

"I would've done the same thing. If it meant protecting you, I would."

"I know."

He moved away from her to let Aaron free. He pulled his sword free from his belt and handed it to Charlie. She accepted it wordlessly. After that, he quickly herded them into the hallway towards the escape route.

"This thing doesn't exist." Aaron hissed. "There is no record of there being some secret tunnel under Independence Hall."

"I've used it." Miles snapped back. "If it was written about, it wouldn't be so secret now would it? The best guess I have is they made it back when Philly was the original capital, in case there was an attack. Now if we could keep moving, that'd be great."

"Wait," Charlie stopped outside a door on the right, peering into the small window built into the panel. "Oh God, Miles, open the door."

"Charlie," he sighed inwardly, then paled as he saw Rachel leaning in the window. He fumbled with the keys for a minute, then found the correct one and opened the door. His sister-in-law fell against him with a moan. "Jesus, Rachel, what the hell happened?"

As far as he had known, Rachel had always been treated as a guest-a very strange guest but a guest nonetheless. To find her locked away in the basement and clearly injured was an anomaly.

"Strausser. I... Bass wanted a..." she gave a cry of pain as he gently lowered her to the floor. Charlie fell to her knees in front of her, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Mom?"

"Charlie. Oh, honey, I thought I'd never see you." a weak smile formed on her face as she reached for her. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." she tried to smile back but it was more of a grimace. Miles heard her cry out quietly as she saw the blood seeping through her mother's shirt. "We'll be okay. You're coming with us. She's coming with us."

He realized the last part was aimed at him and he turned his head to find his niece staring at him with such fierce determination that it scared him.

"Charlie," it was Rachel who spoke up, patting her hand gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

"No. No, no, I just found you. I can't leave you. Dad's-"

"I know. I know." she glanced at Miles, who saw the almost pleading look in her eyes, and understood what she wanted him to do.

"Charlie, come on. I need to get you out of here." he put a hand on each shoulder, trying to pull her off the ground. "Danny's waiting for you."

"No! No, you did this! You need to help her!" she twisted out of his grasp, glaring at him through her tears. "Fix this!"

"Listen to me-"

"It's not his fault." Rachel interrupted.

"Rach,"

"It's not. I agreed to go to him and I'm sorry. I thought I was keeping you safe Charlie. You and Danny and your dad. Right now I need you to go to your brother. Okay?"

"But I just got you back. Mom, please, please, don't leave me again."

Miles looked away as Charlie leaned carefully on Rachel, crying into her shoulder. He directed his gaze at Nora, nodding at his niece.

"Come on," he finally pulled her off Rachel, wrapping his arms tightly around her to keep her from pulling away. She struggled against him for a moment, until he spoke quietly in her ear. "Charlie, Monroe will hear you and come down here and kill all of us. Nora will get you to Danny. I will do my best to help your mom but I need you out of the way first. Okay?"

He felt her nod against him and he slowly let her go, handing her off to Nora.

"Wait, Mom,"

"Go. I love you."

"No, Mom, don't,"

"Come on, we need to go,"

Rachel turned her head away, hissing in pain as Miles touched her side gently. She put her hand on his, barely curling their fingers together.

"What the hell happened? Bass says you tried to kill him."

A faint smile flashed on her face before turning into a pained expression.

"I had to protect Danny." her voice was weaker now that Charlie wasn't in earshot. It was clear that she had been trying to stay strong to keep her daughter calm. "You need to stop Bass. There's pendants,"

"I know about the pendants and turning the power on. Don't worry about that right now."

"He can't get them. There's twelve." she coughed, blood spilling out the corner of her mouth. "Promise me.. and the kids, you'll,"

"They'll be fine. Stop talking like this. You're..."

"Miles," even mortally wounded, she managed to glare slightly at him, "It's bad. No, no point in denying it. Just look after them. They need you."

"I will. Rach, I... I'm sorry."

"Miles!" Bass's sudden shout caught his attention. Nora, Charlie, and Aaron froze, only steps from the tunnel. "You son of a bitch! I know you're down there!"

There were three loud footsteps on the stairs and he motioned angrily at the trio, waving at the door. Aaron didn't need telling twice.

"Did you think you were clever? Going to save the day? Well, you should've made sure Danny Boy was out of here before rushing to save your little girlfriend. Maybe it would have worked, maybe you could have gotten a head start, but he left behind the one important clue to it all. I found your instructions to him. In all his excitement of freedom, he must have dropped it. Fortunately, I had him grabbed before he could get far enough away. I was willing to let him go before but now, not so much. I'll definitely enjoy breaking him."

"No!" Charlie darted for the stairs, was up them before either Miles or Nora could react. He went to stand, to chase after her, then looked back to Rachel. With a sinking feeling, he realized her grip on his hand had loosened and she wasn't breathing. He tipped his head down, teeth digging into his lip and nearly drawing blood. After lowering her to the ground, he stood up and grabbed the sword off the guard he had killed earlier. He had failed Rachel in so many ways. He'd be damned if he was going to let Bass harm his niece and nephew.


	12. Chapter 12

Charlie ignored Nora's yells to wait, focused only on getting Danny. She burst out of the stairwell but before she could do anything else, a pair of arms wrapped painfully tight around her shoulders, bear hugging her to whomever her captor was. She screamed in frustration and struggled, squirming the best she could but it made no difference.

"Thank you Lieutenant." Monroe stood near a doorway off to the right with Danny held in front of him. He gripped the boy tightly by the arm, which he had twisted behind his back. His other hand gripped his sword tightly, pressing the blade against his neck.

She turned her head as best she could and looked up into the stoic face of Jason Neville. She yelled again, slammed her foot as hard as she could down onto his. He gave no reaction whatsoever. Monroe chuckled across the room at her antics.

"You're a bastard." she hissed. She glanced at Jason, then at Monroe. "Both of you."

The comment only made him laugh harder.

"Now Charlie, I'd keep quiet over there. After all, your brother's life is in my hands." as if to make his point, he pressed the sword harder, making Danny wince as a result. "I know you wouldn't want something bad to happen to him."

She felt tears building up as she watched the scene before her.

"Danny, it's okay." she whispered, trying to keep him calm. At this point, though, she wasn't entirely sure if it was for him or for her.

"And don't you try anything either." Monroe added, eyes turning to Nora. She stopped in her tracks, glaring at him. "Drop the gun. I'll slit his throat before you can get one shot off. You know I can. Would Miles appreciate knowing his nephew's blood is on your hands? I think that can put quite the damper on a relationship."

"Or you could just let them go." Miles's tone was cold but Monroe continued to smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Charlie saw her uncle emerge from the basement stairs.

"And where exactly would the fun be in that?"

"I'm not going to let you use them so you can get to me. This has nothing to do with them. You're using them as pawns to get what you want. Well, you got me here. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It goes far beyond that."

"I know that. You're throwing a temper tantrum. Typical Bass."

"Don't." his eyes flashed icily. It was clear Miles had hit a nerve.

"Let him go." he stepped forward, sword gripped tightly in his hand.

"No."

"Fine. If you're going to hide behind a kid, afraid to face me after seven years,"

"Screw you!" Monroe suddenly forced Danny away from him, causing the teen to stumble, then fall.

Miles saw him scramble towards Charlie, still struggling against Jason's hold. He turned his attention back to Bass and they slowly began to circle each other, swords pointed out. "You left. You left me for her!"

"It had nothing to do with her!"

"You're a liar! I saw your note, about how you warned me what you would do if I ever laid a finger on her. That's why you left."

"That was the breaking point. But for months, hell years even, you were going crazy."

"I was doing what you told me. Weren't you always saying to toughen up?"

"Don't pin this on me. You know it was never supposed to be this way. You got addicted to the power. You love being the center of attention and you need it to be your way or no way at all. You started treating me like I was inferior to you. We were partners, brothers, and you were the one who turned your back on it first."

At that point, Bass was practically shooting daggers with his eyes and lunged forward with his sword. Miles quickly parried the move and they began to fight for the upper hand. He was so focused on Bass that he blocked everything else out. He had almost forced him back into the next room when he heard Charlie's horrified cry and screams. Without thinking, he turned and watched in horror as Jeremy stepped back from Danny, who collapsed to his knees and clutched the center of his torso, which was rapidly turning red with blood. The captain calmly wiped his sword along his pant leg, then turned to glare at Jason.

"If you're going to kill someone, don't mess around. Just do it." he ordered, then muttered something that sounded like, 'Thank God your father's not here.' He spun quickly, meeting Nora's sword, and began to battle her.

"You should really watch what you're doing." at Bass's voice, Miles turned but quickly fell back from the force of the punch he landed on his stomach. Both their swords clattered to the ground. "Poor Danny. Like I said,_ I_ wouldn't do anything to him."

He was in a daze, taking hit after hit. He landed against the wall, wheezing heavily, and knew he was done. That was until he looked up and locked eyes on Charlie crying over Danny, shaking him and pleading with him to just open his eyes. It sunk in then- his nephew was dead. All these months he had worked relentlessly to get him back and he had failed. Rage coursed through him and he looked up at Bass, who stood over him smirking without saying a word. Bass, who had sneaked candy past Rachel to give to three year old Charlie. Bass, who had held newborn Danny, grinning like he was the best thing in the world. _You guys are the closest I'll ever have to a family_. No, this was not that Bass anymore. Miles did not recognize the man standing in front of him.

"What the hell have you done?"

"Me? No, no, this was us. Don't be all sanctimonious just because they're dropping like flies. You're just as responsible, if not more."

Miles decided he had had enough talking. He pushed himself off the wall and rammed into Bass, his shoulder catching his stomach, and knocked them both down. He swung mercilessly, not even caring when he heard bone crack beneath his fist. They rolled several times, then Miles saw his sword, and scrambled to get up. Bass grabbed his ankle, tugging him down hard though, and he felt blood fill his mouth as his chin cracked onto the floor and his teeth caught his tongue. When he managed to stand, he turned, and jolted back slightly at the sight of Bass aiming a pistol at his chest as blood poured out of his nose and over his mouth.

"I hope it was all worth it Miles."

"So that's it. You're going to kill me. You're going to kill each of us until there's no one left."

"Like you weren't going to do the same." Bass sneered. "We put on a good show last night but we both know that I've been waiting for this moment just as long as you have. I'll admit this wasn't the plan originally, no, but when you hand delivered yourself to me... I knew it was too good to be true. You thought you played me Miles but man, you were so wrong. I wanted to see how far I could push you until you snapped. I have to admit, I thought you weren't going to last long, especially when they all came into the picture. I thought having Nora was a bit too much but you surpassed my expectations. You almost had me going for a minute."

"No Bass, I caught on pretty quick. It was only a matter of time until it came down to this."

Charlie looked up as she heard them speaking and felt her blood freeze at the scene. _No, no, no_. Her mind went into a panic. Her father was dead, her mother was dead, and her brother was dead. There was no way she was losing Miles on top of it. Despite the recent revelations she had found out, he was still her uncle and the only one she had left. She had seen the remorse in his eyes as they sat on the ground next to her mother. She could learn to forgive him but that would never happen if Monroe killed him first.

"I'm sorry Danny." she pushed his bangs back gently, tears dripping down onto him. Then, she gritted her teeth and stood up. "Don't touch him!"

"You really didn't need much grieving time." Bass commented dryly. "I see how much Danny meant to you."

"You don't know anything."

"Charlie," Miles's tone was warning. She ignored him and kept moving forward.

"I have lost everything and everyone I care about because of you. I won't let you do it again."

"Charlie, no."

"Is that so?" Bass looked highly amused. "Little Charlie Matheson thinking she's some big hero. Willing to sacrifice yourself for this scum?"

"He's more of a man than you."

"I see you don't know much about him. He's a traitor, a deserter, a murderer, a kidnapper. I could go on and on. Would you like me too?"

"He's made up for all that. What have you done besides kill some more people?"

Bass smirked, lifted the gun again, and Charlie darted forward, throwing herself in front of Miles. He spun her around, trying to shield her but he knew it was too late as he heard the crack of the bullet, followed by her pained screams, and felt the warm liquid oozing between his fingers.

"Stupid bitch. Does anyone else want to try and get in my way?" Bass waved the pistol, glancing around. The only people left were Jeremy and Nora. Jason had crept away in the madness. "No? Perfect."

He yelled in surprise, caught off guard as Miles barreled into him once more. The pistol went flying off to the side and before he could react, he was on the ground with Miles over him and hands at his throat. Just as he started seeing dots cloud his vision, Miles released him and stood up. Bass let out a wheezy laugh, clenching his eyes shut. He was about to rag on Miles when he heard the pistol cock and pain seared through his left leg. He swore loudly, bringing his hand to his now bloody thigh, but still laughed.

"You... you don't... have the balls to... to kill me."

"No?" at the question, he opened his eyes slowly, then widened them completely as he saw his best friend aim the pistol at his chest. Miles took two seconds to steady himself, then pulled the trigger.

* * *

"Charlie?"

Miles leaned forward, peering intently at her. She blinked a few times and inhaled a deep breath, glancing up at him.

"Are you okay?"

She blinked again, eyes drifting from him to Nora, completely silent next to him, and Megan observing with a furrowed brow. He repeated the question, concern filling his eyes. She opened her mouth, ready to say _I'm okay, _but a sob came out instead, leaving her feeling completely mortified. She tried to stop but the tears continued to come as she came to terms with what happened that night. As much as she insisted the events did not go like that, she knew how Miles and Nora explained it was the truth.

"It's okay." He moved quickly, sat himself on the arm of the chair she was in, and put his arm around her. She pressed herself against him, burying her face in his shoulder. He lifted his head to look at Megan and sent a withering glare in her direction. "Are you happy now? Was this necessary?"

"Unfortunately yes. I think, I think that's enough for today."

"You're damn right it's enough. Now you know why we wouldn't talk about it." he stood up, taking his niece with him, and led her from the room, muttering softly in her ear. Nora leaned against the back of the couch with a sigh and put a hand to her mouth, gnawing on her knuckle gently.

"I'm sorry." she finally said quietly. "When it comes to Charlie, he can be... overly dedicated."

"I would imagine that he would be. After all, he promised his sister-in-law he would look out for her children and not even twenty minutes later, her son was murdered. I would think he's holding onto Charlie like she's the last thing in this world." Megan leaned her elbows onto her knees and curled her hands up under her chin. "Do you mind if I ask you a few more questions?"

"Yeah actually, I do, I'm sorry." there were tears stinging the corners of her eyes. As painful as it was for Charlie, it was just as painful for her and Miles.

"No, that's okay. Despite what you all might think, today _was _a good thing." Megan stood quietly and gazed down at Nora. "I know you said you have Miles but if you ever want to talk, I'm all for listening. She wasn't the only one that suffered that day."

"I'll keep it in mind." she stood as well and led the other woman out. She closed the door quietly behind her and pressed her forehead against the flat surface. Megan was right. Charlie _wasn't _the only one who suffered that day. Granted, her sufferings weren't as severe but Nora still had to grapple with the idea that Miles would betray her, then after realizing it was not true, had to deal with the intense fear that he would not survive. She knew all too well of the tensions between herself and Monroe. Nothing would have stopped him from causing a little more havoc in her life.

She pushed herself away from the door and turned to walk down the hallway. Their voices filtered out from Charlie's bedroom and Nora paused in the doorway, arms crossed. Charlie sat against the headboard with her knees up to her chest. Her elbows rested on her knees and her hands held her head up as she took in ragged breaths. Miles sat near her feet, one hand pressed into the mattress on either side of her, leaning in.

"I don't want to hear you talk like that."

"It's the truth."

"It is not."

"He died because of me."

"He died protecting you Charlie. He saw you were in trouble and went to you, like any brother would. It was his choice. He knew what he was getting into."

"No he didn't. He was just a kid. It wasn't his job to protect me. _I _was supposed to protect _him _and I didn't." she let out a soft cry and pressed her palms against her eyes. "If I just waited, things would have been different."

"I don't think so." he stood then and pulled her to him, keeping a hand on the side of her head. "Monroe didn't intend on letting any of us out of there. Why don't you try to relax for a bit? I'll call you when dinner's ready."

He dropped his hand and she moved away from him, rolling onto her side so her back faced them. He watched her for a moment longer, then quietly walked away. Nora stepped to the side, allowing him to leave the room, and followed him into the kitchen. He pulled open a cabinet, the door crashing loudly into the one next to it, and grabbed a glass, which he slammed onto the counter. Another cabinet was opened, door crashing again, and he pulled out a bottle of scotch.

"I was going to ask if you wanted any. I keep forgetting you can't." he waved the bottle over his shoulder, then poured himself a glass. He downed it in one swallow, then refilled the glass. This time, he took a small sip before setting it back on the counter. She stepped forward quietly as she saw him grip the edge of the counter hard enough to make his knuckles white and lowered his head.

"Don't do this." she eased his fingers off the granite, laced hers between them, and squeezed gently.

"I'm not doing anything."

"You're brooding and tense and feeling guilty." she pressed a cheek between his shoulder blades, grimacing at how stiff he felt. He said nothing and she sighed softly. "I wish you would talk to me. I know you won't but I wish you would. The world isn't your problem Miles. You couldn't stop what happened any more than the rest of us could. We can go around and around, blaming each other and whoever else, wondering what we could have done differently but it's not going to make a difference. We just have to keep moving forward somehow."


	13. Chapter 13

"You ready to go?"

Charlie turned at Miles's voice to find him striding towards her as he slipped something into his pocket. She nodded before turning her attention back to the group goofing off in the open area of the Mall. Andrew's friends seemed relatively normal and unlikely to cause any harm to her. Any time she saw them, she felt some sort of longing to join them, to be a part of a group like that. She never had that before. Growing up, it had just been her and Danny. The other children living in their village were a few years younger than them and Charlie had never given any friendships a chance. Her main priority was Danny.

Now, living in this world that was so different from the one she grew up in, she felt extremely isolated. Besides Miles and Nora, there was no one. She knew she couldn't spend the rest of her life with them, hidden away in the house. For one, she was sure they would go crazy. She would be turning twenty-two soon. She had to leave at some point. Two, she didn't exactly want to do hide away. She wanted to explore, meet people, go out, have fun. It was just anytime she tried to take that step, fear held her back. That was something that drove her crazy. She had always been so fearless. Now, her own shadow made her jump.

"They seem like nice kids." Miles commented as they started walking. Charlie decided to ignore that and turn the attention elsewhere.

"What did you get?"

"What?"

"I saw you putting something in your pocket. What did you get?"

"Nothing so mind your own business." he glanced sideways at her, smirking a little, and she shrugged, rolling her eyes. Three days had gone by since their discussion with Megan. For Miles, it felt like she had regressed. The sleepless nights had returned, which she apologized over and over for. He brushed those aside, telling her it was giving him practice for when the baby came. In actuality, it sucked but he wasn't about to tell her that. He was just grateful she was still talking.

They didn't get many visitors so the knock on the door surprised Nora. She glanced out the window-never could be too careful- and raised an eyebrow before opening the door. Andrew gave a small wave as he smiled politely.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Matheson." he extended his hand and she accepted it, unable to bring herself to correct him. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, not at all. Come on in." she stepped aside, allowing him into the apartment, then shut the door behind him. "Did your father send you for something?"

"He wanted to give these to you. He's tied up in meetings so I'm playing messenger for the day." he held up a group of papers tied together with a thick ribbon. She took them, skimming through the first few pages. "Is uh, Charlie here?"

"No. She's out with Miles." Nora lifted her gaze to the young man, observing him. "They shouldn't be much longer if you wanted to wait for her."

"No, no, I... she'd probably hit me if she found me here." he flashed a grin, shoving his hands into his pockets. "She doesn't seem to like me very much."

"I don't think that's true. Why do you think that?"

"Well, I invited her to come out on Friday and she immediately refused. She's told me I'm creepy and she doesn't know me."

"That sounds like Charlie." Nora mused. If it wasn't so serious, she would have laughed. "I'm sure it's not you Andrew. Things have been-"

"I know it hasn't been easy for her. I hear people talking, about what you did and what happened, and I found her the day of the meeting in the hallway, looking like she was about to freak out. I know Megan Pierce has been coming to talk to her too."

"Really?"

"She's not the only one who's had it rough." he shrugged slightly, toeing at the carpet. Nora stared at him, suddenly feeling sympathetic.

"Where did you want to go Friday?"

"My friends and I were going to the Mall to watch the movie, get something to eat maybe. I thought she'd like to come with us."

"Well, you never know. Maybe she'll change her mind. There's still two more days."

Miles glanced down at Nora when he heard her yawn for the fourth time in just as many minutes. They were sitting on the couch watching _Pretty Woman_-a difficult one to find but it had been Nora's only request on his film journey and the thank you sex had been worth it-and he was sure she was not going to make it to the end.

"Do you want me to turn it off?"

"No." she snuggled further against him though, hand coming to rest on his ribcage. Charlie was curled up in the armchair, hugging her pillow to her chest. "You don't like the movie?"

"I never thought you were one of those women."

"Every girl is a romantic at heart."

"This is romantic?" Charlie asked. Miles chuckled as he felt Nora huff against him.

"There's a formula to these movies, Charlie. Girl meets guy, girl falls in love with guy, something happens to keep them apart, and then ultimately they realize they love each other and wind up back together."

"It's more than that."

"At the root of every one of these movies, that's all there is." he began rattling off titles which only confused Charlie and reduced Nora to giggles. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because I wouldn't think your alpha male personality would be watching _The Notebook _or _Twilight_."

"Alright, sometimes there are certain sacrifices you must make in order to... gain things in return." he received a light whack for that one. "I enjoyed neither of them."

"Did you cry?"

"At what?"

"At _The Notebook_."

"Hell no."

She laughed again, then lifted her head to look at both of them.

"Since we're talking about movies, I was thinking we could go to the one playing on Friday night at the Mall. I don't know what it is but it should still be fun. It would be nice to go out for a few hours. Maybe we could get something to eat. The weather's been bearable the past few nights so it shouldn't be too bad."

"So in essence, we really don't know what we're getting ourselves into. It could be _Twilight _for all we know."

"It'll be an adventure."

"Why don't you go get dressed?" Nora suggested the next morning. Charlie gazed at her across her orange juice, eyebrows furrowed. "Go on. We're going to go shopping. The weather's warmer now and you could use a few outfits that aren't torn or stained with blood."

Charlie did as she was told, not wanting to argue, but wondered what Nora's motive was. They chatted quietly as they walked into the city. She frowned when they bypassed the Mall and continued on down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?"

"Clothing shop."

"I thought everything was on the Mall."

"Not all of it. Some of the stores are more specific." they turned down a street and Nora pushed open the door of the second store on the right. A mannequin sat in the window dressed in shorts and a pale blue t-shirt. A bell tinkled overhead as they entered and an older woman close to her sixties smiled from the counter.

"Nora, this is a surprise. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Been a bit busy. Georgia, this is my niece Charlie."

"Hi." Charlie gave a small wave, hoping she hid her surprise at Nora's introduction.

"It's nice to meet you. Did you need anything specific?"

"Just looking. Thanks." she ducked between two racks, glancing through the clothing. "This is nice."

Nora held up a purple shirt that tied at the hem with three-quarter length sleeves. Charlie could only stare at her.

"You probably don't remember doing anything like this, do you?"

"No."

"That's okay. It's supposed to be fun. Relax a little. Look and see if you like anything. Honestly, I like this better. It's more like a boutique now instead of having mass produced items." she stuffed the shirt back on the rack and fingered a dark red sundress. She couldn't remember the last time she wore anything other than jeans and a shirt or tank top. Sure, she had gotten newer, cleaner items a few times, just so she didn't look like a slob going to meetings, but overall, the last time she had thrown on a dress most likely had been while she was still living in Philadelphia. Her mind turned to Miles. She knew he could care less about how she looked but it still didn't hurt to try and make an effort to entice him.

She glanced over her shoulder to find Charlie looking through several shirts. She stopped on a sundress that was a pale yellow color. The straps were thin-just a bit thicker than a spaghetti strap.

"That's nice." she commented. Charlie gave half a nod, pushing it aside with the other clothes. "You look like you liked it."

"It's okay."

She turned completely and pulled the dress off the rack, inspecting it.

"I think it would look good on you. You could wear it tomorrow night. It's casual and springy. Why don't you try it on?"

"No." the younger woman averted her eye and rubbed her hand over her wrist. Nora noted the wrist being rubbed was the one that bore the mark of the Militia. As she pondered this, she realized she hadn't seen Charlie without either a jacket or long sleeves since receiving the brand.

"Georgia," she turned her head to the counter, causing the older woman to look up. "Do you have any bracelets?"

"Actually, Lindsey just sent over a set. She makes the prettiest things, I swear. Of course, it's not Tiffany's but times have changed, haven't they?" she reached under the counter and brought out a tray. An array of bracelets, small and large, sat on it. Nora nudged Charlie gently and she followed, rather reluctantly. She examined the group, then saw two she thought were nice.

"This would match the dress perfectly." she picked up the first, a medium sized bangle that had alternating silver and yellow beads. "And this is pretty close to your eyes."

The second was a braided band of an ocean blue. Put together, they would be thick enough to cover the brand.

"What do you think? Try them on."

Charlie silently did as she was told and upon seeing her guess was correct, Nora smiled triumphantly.

"Always accessorize. Best part of looking nice. Go try on the dress."

"Oh that would look wonderful on you." Georgia piped up. "Go. There's a room right in the back of the store."

Charlie glanced at Nora, who nodded encouragingly. Sighing deeply, the blonde trudged off. The brunette smiled and followed after, taking the second dressing room. She slipped into the red dress and awkwardly reached for the zipper. Deciding it was as far up as it would go, she examined her reflection. The top was a little tight but made for better cleavage, which she was sure Miles would not complain about. The rest of the dress was loose around her stomach, hiding the bump that was beginning to form, and fell around her knees. She heard Charlie sigh again through the wall and stepped out into the shop again.

"Come out here when you have it on. I want to see what it looks like."

"I look stupid."

"I doubt that. Open the door."

Charlie stepped out a second later and Nora raised her eyebrows.

"See, it's ridiculous."

"No. You look really nice. Very pretty." and she did. The dress fit well enough. The skirt flowed any time she moved, swishing just above her knees. The top was a little low cut but nothing too serious. Charlie had to admit it was better than the getup that Drexel had made her wear but she still felt stupid. She glanced at her reflection and ran a hand over her arm.

"Yeah, I look awesome with all these scars." she muttered, her eyes drifting to her shoulder. The strap wasn't thick enough to hide the scar from the gunshot or the resulting stitches she had received.

"Don't let that bother you."

"Girls shouldn't-"

"Uh, hello," Nora gestured to herself, glancing at the small nicks and scars that grazed her arms and hands. More grazed her stomach and back, even though they weren't visible. The most glaringly obvious one at the moment was the one from Miles. "Charlie,"

She stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder, fingers brushing at the old wound.

"You got this saving someone's life. Don't ever be ashamed of that. You're getting the dress. Leave your hair down tomorrow. It'll cover it if it bothers you that much."

"Thank you, for uh, today." Charlie said quietly, nibbling at the sugar cookie in her hand. Nora peered over the top of her chocolate cupcake and swallowed the bite in her mouth. They sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, watching the people moving about across the vast lawn.

"You're welcome."

"I do like the dress."

"I thought so." she bit into the sweet again, chewing thoughtfully. "I remember the first time I met you, you were very sure of yourself, overly confident even. You should try that again. Have some self assurance. You shouldn't worry about what other people think. If they're not going to like you for some scars then they're not worth it."

"I wish I could."

"You can. It's in there, I know. You just need to... go. Don't think. Jump in feet first. Take a risk. I know it's scary but it can pay off in the end. Not everyone has a hidden agenda or is evil. I think that you should give Andrew a chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"He wants to get to know you Charlie and I think you want to too but you're too scared. I'm telling you I know Nicholas and believe me, the Phillipses are no one to be worried about. Andrew's very nice. I've only met Laura a few times but she's sweet. You'll know when something truly isn't right. Everything else is anxiety. Once you get over that first hurdle, it's going to be a lot easier." she finished off the rest of the cupcake and crumpled the paper holder in her hands. "I know what it's like to lose your family."

"Really?"

She nodded silently. She had never mentioned her family to Charlie before but after the discussion with Megan, she had decided it may be a good idea to.

"What happened?"

"My mom died after my sister was born when I was twelve. My dad sent Mia to live with our aunt. He was busy working and he had me and my brother to look after. I guess he thought he was doing her a favor. When Derek turned eighteen, he wanted to join the Militia. I was ten years older than him. We lived in Philadelphia so it wasn't hard for him to sign up. When I think about Derek, it reminds me a lot of you and Danny. I always looked out for him. My dad was livid when he went to join and sent me to make sure everything was fine. That's actually how I met Miles."

"I didn't know that."

"We started dating a few weeks later. Ba-Monroe wasn't pleased. My father was part of the local resistance that was starting to rise up. I think Monroe sensed a change in Miles since I had been around. He didn't like that and he hired someone to murder my father and brother in order to teach me a lesson. He made it seem like someone had broken into our apartment but after a while, I figured it out. I think he hoped that I would become sympathetic to the Republic and stop dissuading Miles. The truth was at the time, I was indifferent to both sides of the war and Miles was growing jaded all on his own but Monroe didn't want to pin the blame on him so picked me to be the target since I was the only thing that had changed in his life."

"I'm sorry."

"It's been eight years now. My point is, I know what it's like and I know that it feels like the whole world is crumbling around you but I promise that eventually, something will happen that will make things better. I don't know how to explain it but it's just like something clicks into place and you start moving on. I felt guilty for a long time after they died. I should have been looking after Derek. My relationship with my dad was strained. He hated Miles, hated that I was dating him. Monroe, believe it or not, was the one who told me they had been killed. I knew something had happened but my first thought went to Miles, because he was out on a campaign at the time. I didn't think there could be any other reason Monroe would personally come to find me. I felt bad that I worried about him before I even thought of them."

"What did you do?"

"I decided not to dwell on what had happened. I tried looking back and remembering the good times. I know it sounds cheesy but it's true. I gave myself time to grieve and, well, those first few months I threw myself into making bombs for the Militia, but once I came out of the fog and I found something real to grasp on to, it helps ease your mind. It keeps you occupied. Sitting around thinking all day long can be dangerous. We don't forget the people or what happened but we learn to cope. I still have days where it'll hit me that they're gone but then other days are fine."


	14. Chapter 14

"I missed this." Nora murmured as she walked alongside Miles. One hand held his tightly while her free arm wrapped around his. They were on their way home from their night on the Mall-and they were alone. Halfway through the live band, Charlie had taken the plunge to join Andrew and his friends. When they had been ready to leave only twenty minutes through the movie, she hadn't been, much to both their surprises. Miles hadn't been too thrilled at letting her stay but with a promising whisper that she had a dagger hidden up her skirt and Andrew's insistence he would have Charlie home safe at a decent hour, Nora had been able to drag Miles away.

"What?"

"Walking with you and not having to look over our shoulder every two seconds. It reminds me of Philly." then as an after thought, she added, "And being alone. This is the first time in three years that we've been entirely alone."

"I don't think that's true."

"The last time we were completely and utterly alone was our random encounter in Chicago three years ago. Ever since the night you rescued me from the work camp, we have had Charlie, Aaron, Jason, Maggie, and whoever the hell else joined us along the way."

"I thought you said I wasn't rescuing you."

"Every girl likes to be rescued." she smiled coyly up at him as she stepped away, pulling their fingers apart slowly. A small smile formed on his face as he followed her up the porch. He pressed her back against the door, lowering his head to kiss her.

"I don't think we should let this go to waste then."

"Good idea." she lifted her chin to meet his mouth. He curled one hand around her waist and pressed the other against the door, just next to her head. When they pulled away, he fished the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. She walked backwards into the hallway, eyes never leaving his. He kicked the door shut behind him and tossed the keys onto the table near the door. He followed her, growling in annoyance as she stepped out of his reach each time.

She laughed softly, finally allowed him to hold her, and sighed as he kissed her again. She stepped out of the flats she wore, nudged them off to the side so they didn't trip. By then, they had entered their bedroom and he lowered her onto their bed, settling over her.

She let out a quiet moan as he moved slowly down, achingly slow, not quite touching or kissing her but lightly grazing his fingertips and mouth over every inch of her.

"Mm, if you're gonna do something, do it soon."

He chuckled quietly against her stomach, lifting one hand to lace their fingers together.

"Patience is a virtue."

"You're a damn hypocrite." she slid her other hand into his hair, gripping tightly as he sunk lower. "Miles, I swear to... oh,"

"You were saying?"

* * *

"Baby,"

The term of endearment had Nora raising an eyebrow sleepily. It was rare they called each other anything like that. Every so often one of them let out a 'hon' or a 'babe' but it wasn't consistent. Miles was hardly the type of person to be handing out pet names.

"Mm," she nuzzled her face against his shoulder and sighed softly. "What?"

"I ah..." he shifted, rolling onto his side so they were facing each other. She lifted her head and blinked curiously at him. They stared at each other for a long moment and she raised her eyebrow again.

"What's going on?"

"I ah, I got you a, well, thing."

"What kind of thing?"

Miles turned slightly, reaching for his pants. He hooked a finger around a belt loop and dragged it towards him, then reached into the pocket. Nora sat up halfway as he faced her once more, the small wooden box sitting in his hand.

"Miles," she sat up completely, gripping the sheet to her chest. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were comically wide.

"Just, hold on a minute," he sat up too and flipped the light on. They both blinked in the sudden brightness. He was silent, pondering his next choice of words. "I know this is stupid."

"Can I stop you for a minute?"

"I wish you wouldn't. This is hard enough to get out as it is."

"Okay but when you're asking someone to marry you, the first thing you say shouldn't be 'this is stupid.'"

"How do you know I'm asking you that?"

"Am I going to have to do this myself?"

"Honestly? I wouldn't put it past you."

She gave him a look and popped the lid open on the box. Her heart nearly stopped at the sight of the white gold band with a small sapphire situated in the center. It wasn't overly extravagant but she wasn't that type anyway. Still, she was a woman and, in the eight years she had known Miles, had often daydreamed about this moment.

"How did you find this?"

"I have my ways."

"Must've been hard."

"You're worth it. Are you going to let me continue?"

"Okay."

"Okay. Now, I know this is stupid," he immediately pressed a finger over her mouth as she opened it to protest. "Who's the one asking the question? If you let me get past that part, you'll understand why I'm saying it. This _is _stupid because we've literally gone to hell and back together. We don't need a couple rings and a piece of paper to make it official and at this point in time, it probably doesn't mean anything anyway. Yet at the same time, I still want it to."

Her lips were curling into a smile behind his finger and she held back a giggle at how red he seemed to be turning, though her heart clenched at how cute he looked with his hand wavering.

"You a traditionalist? Who would've thought?"

"You're making this difficult."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not good with words."

"You're doing fine. Keep going. I'll be quiet."

"Right," he huffed, scraping his free hand through his hair and making it stand up on end even more. "You told me it was okay to show some emotion with you."

"Mhmm," she nodded, prompting him to continue.

"When people say you're my wife, I actually want to be able to nod and not look like I have no idea what they're talking about. Because as odd as it is, I don't think of you that way. You're just... there."

She raised an eyebrow, a humorous expression on her face. She knew he wasn't trying to be insulting. He just really wasn't good with words.

"So, let me recap this real quick. The idea of us getting married is stupid and I'm just here, like a piece of furniture. Why do you want to do this again?"

"No." he rubbed his hand over his nose, scowling slightly. "That's not what I meant. It's just that we're at this point and... and you're not making this easy."

She decided to take pity on him and leaned forward, kissing him gently.

"You don't need to make some long speech. I just want to hear two things."

"What's that?"

"A three word statement and a four word question. It's all you ever had to say. Explains things a lot easier than fumbling around for words and referring to me as furniture."

"I didn't call you furniture." he mumbled, moving to kiss her back. She leaned back on her hands, not letting him get to her.

"I'm waiting."

He inhaled a deep breath, steadying himself, then focused his gaze on her intently.

"I love you. Will, will you marry me?"

There was a beat of silence and she tilted her head to the side, "I'll have to think about it."

His face fell so suddenly that she laughed out loud.

"I'm sorry." she came towards him, framing his still pouting face in her hands. "I'm sorry. It's just, you were so uptight and tense that whole time. I love you and yes I will marry you."

"That wasn't funny. You have no idea how stressful this was for me."

"No, I do."

"I was just going to slip it on your finger while you were sleeping and hoped you noticed."

"And yet you decided to make some grand gesture. I'm proud of you." she stroked her thumbs along his cheeks and smiled widely. "And you're wrong. It does still mean something. I know what you meant when you said I'm just here. We've settled into this lifestyle but there was still something missing. We were in this sort of state where we weren't anything but we understood its meaning."

He gave a slight smile, shifted his eyes downward, and pulled the ring out of its holder. He gently took her left hand and easily slipped the ring into place. He kept her hand in his, observing how it looked. She looked as well, cocking her head with a smile.

"It fits."

"I may have measured your finger while you were sleeping."

"That is... slightly creepy."

"I didn't want it to be falling off of you." he moved closer to kiss her. They sat together for a minute or two before he nudged her down into a laying position. They exchanged another kiss as he moved over her and pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"For wanting to marry me?"

"For not doing it sooner."


	15. Chapter 15

Charlie sat on the edge of her bed, towel wrapped tightly around her torso, and stared at the dress hanging off her closet door. She was torn between dressing so she could head out to enjoy herself or curling into a ball under the blankets. Somewhere in the hall, she heard Miles and Nora talking, laughing a little. She thought back to her conversation with Nora the previous day. _Don't think. Jump in feet first. Take a risk. _She took in a deep breath, then stood, and pulled the dress off its hanger. She was determined to have a good time tonight. Even if she just sat at their sides the entire night, at least it was more than what she would typically be doing.

Once she dressed and had managed to tame her hair the best she could, she gazed at her reflection. She fidgeted as she observed herself. _No, I'm done letting this bother me. _She slipped the bracelets onto her wrist and silently admitted that Nora had been right. The brand was unnoticeable. Finally, she exited her bedroom and quietly made her way down the hallway. She found them in the kitchen. Nora sat on the edge of the counter, legs swinging like a kid. She wore the red dress she bought and Miles stood in front of her in jeans and a black long sleeved tee. From her position in the doorway, Charlie could see his hand on her knee, fingers disappearing underneath the material of the dress. She thought about sneaking away but Nora looked up and saw her.

"See, I told you it looked great." she swatted Miles's hand away and hopped off the counter, bracing herself on his arms. He turned his head to look at her, eyes widened, and then turned around completely. Charlie shifted her weight, shoulders slumping, and blushed.

"I know, it's weird." she ran her fingers through her hair until she reached the ends and twisted them, trying not to feel awkward.

"No. You look very... nice. Pretty. Er, beautiful." he fumbled over his words, knowing women got offended if they were thought to look just 'nice' or 'pretty.' His compliment seemed to have no effect on his niece one way or the other. "It's just a big change from seeing you in your jeans and boots."

"Yeah," she glanced down at herself, wringing her hands behind her back.

"You ready?"

"I think so."

* * *

They settled in a spot near the middle of the lawn where they could see the stage and the projection screen. A large audience was already forming and Charlie gave herself silent pep talks to keep calm. She spent about a half hour locked in her own mind, only half listening to Miles and Nora's conversation, and somewhat looking for Andrew. She spotted him almost immediately. He was off to the left of the group, flinging a Frisbee around with his three guy friends. The two girls he was usually seen with sat near them, giggling together like school girls.

_Don't think. Jump in feet first. Take a risk. _

For all Charlie knew, the whole area could have been crawling with Militia. Neville or one of the other officers could have been lurking in between groups, spying on them this entire time. Possible but most likely improbable. The more she thought about it, the more she doubted the idea. The Militia were currently being hunted. It was unlikely they would step out in broad daylight to stage an attack.

She turned her attention back to Andrew, contemplating. He had never done anything malicious to her. He was being friendly. She was just not trustworthy and assumed now that everyone had ulterior motives. He seemed okay. _So did Jason. _No, she refused to let him and the rest of what had happened continue to have a hold over her. It wasn't what her parents or Danny would have wanted. Her brother had saved her life, getting her freed from Jason, and she was sitting here wasting that gift.

Slowly, she unfolded her legs and stood up, straightening her skirt.

"What are you doing?" Miles peered up at her, a guarded expression on his face. Charlie looked down at him, then looked at Nora, who smiled.

"I uh, I am going to go and try and act like a normal person for a change. Andrew had offered to meet up if I decided to come tonight."

"Okay."

"You'll... you'll be here, right?" she lowered her gaze, feeling a blush creeping up her face. When she looked back to her uncle, there was his calm grin in place.

"Always. Have fun."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Nora commented lightly as Charlie moved away, earning a groan from Miles. She let out a laugh and moved so she was sitting between his legs, back to his chest. He dropped his head to her shoulder, kissing the exposed skin, and then turned his eyes to watch as Charlie wandered from them. "You know I'm not very conceited,"

"Right," he snorted, leaning back on one hand.

"But I may have had something to do with this change of heart in her."

He looked back to her, found her twisted around, smiling at him gently, and stared silently for a moment. He cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the lump that had suddenly formed.

"Thank you. I mean it. You've really, you've really been a big help to her."

"She's my family too. You don't ever have to thank me."

* * *

Charlie took a deep breath as she walked closer to Andrew, trying desperately to calm her racing pulse. She ignored how the two girls went quiet as she approached and the raised eyebrow she received from one of the guys. Andrew, who had his back to her, turned slowly as he saw the change in his friends. Charlie was not able to ignore the wide smile that quickly lit up his face when his eyes landed on her.

"Hey!" he flung the Frisbee at his friends and took the last few steps to meet her. "You came."

"Did you guys coordinate outfits?" one of the girls, a redhead, chuckled. She was obviously teasing Andrew but Charlie felt her cheeks redden. She skimmed her eyes over him quickly, noting he wore a yellow button-down, sleeves rolled at the elbows as always. His jeans had grass stains on the knees, she noted silently.

"Yeah, of course." Andrew rolled his eyes at the redhead, who turned back to her previous conversation. "Since Cara brought it up, and I'm not the best of gentlemen, you uh, you do look great."

"Thanks." Charlie blushed slightly as she wrung her hands nervously in front of her. "So, um, does the offer still stand?"

"Yeah, of course." he stepped forward, hand out as if he was going to take her arm or hand, then seemed to decide against this, and let it fall at his side. "Here, let me introduce you to everyone. The smart ass is Cara. Next to her is Penny. Then these three buffoons are Sam, Luke, and Ben."

Her heart clenched slightly at the last name but she forced a smile to her face anyway.

"Hi."

"Guys, this is Charlie."

"_The _Charlie?" Luke asked, sparking a round of laughter between him and his two buddies.

"Ignore them. They're assholes." Andrew rolled his eyes again but Charlie detected a blush on his face, which only made hers increase. What had he been saying about her to them? "Where's Laura?"

"I saw her and Dean sneak off towards the bushes about fifteen minutes ago." Penny commented, pushing her glasses up her nose with an index finger. She smiled kindly up at Charlie and patted the ground next to her, an offer to sit. "It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks. Same." she sat slowly, tucking her skirt under her legs, and smiled slightly. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced around, unsure of what to say.

"Did you get that dress at Georgia's?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. How'd you know?"

"You're so lucky." Penny gave a wistful sigh. "My mom won't let me shop there. Says it's a waste of money. I get my sister's old rags. You know, she used to be a fashion designer in New York. She puts a butterfly into everything. That's how I knew."

Charlie glanced over her attire, then spotted the embroidered insect near her waistline. She hadn't noticed it earlier.

"You have a really good eye." she commented, flinching slightly as Andrew dropped down next to her. He smiled apologetically and reached for a metal tin sitting between Cara and Penny. He popped the lid open and held it out as an offering to Charlie. "Oh, uh no thanks."

"Suit yourself." he popped a cookie into his mouth and turned as he heard the guys' yells.

"We were in the middle of a game!" Ben reminded. Andrew waved them off, looking back to Charlie. She heard Sam mutter, "He's too busy with _Charlie_."

Another blush formed and Cara, noticing this, stood up and walked towards him. She pushed roughly at his shoulders, whispering fervently. Charlie tried not to watch but raised an eyebrow as he pulled her into a quick kiss. She scowled at him, then returned to the blanket and sighed.

"Men. No matter their age, they still are four year old boys."

"So Andrew says you came from Philadelphia." Penny said, interest already in her eyes. "What's it like living there?"

"Oh, I didn't live there. I grew up in Wisconsin."

"Well what's that like? I've never been out of DC. Cara's the world traveler."

"Just because I've been to the Georgia Federation doesn't make me a world traveler." the other girl huffed. "My dad's been going because of the Restoration. I've gone a few times."

"Her father is Jackson." Andrew supplied.

"He speaks highly of your uncle." Cara continued. "I've met him a couple times. I like him."

Slowly they eased into a conversation. Charlie gave descriptions of her time on the road, leaving out the morbid details of course, and in return they told her what it was like to grow up in the city. She learned that Penny was the baby of the group at eighteen-the rest ranged from twenty-one to twenty-three- and Ben was her older brother. Sam and Cara had been dating since Christmas. Luke had been a neighbor of Andrew's before the blackout and the Phillipses had taken him in as their own after his parents had died a few years later. Andrew and Laura were twins. Charlie gave the bare minimum, not wanting to reveal too much too soon. Overall, she had to admit that she was enjoying herself. She liked all of them-even the guys, despite their previous joking. The longer she sat with them, the more her tension faded. She could almost trick herself into believing they had all been friends for years.

The movie-_Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl_- started a little while later and she turned her focus there. She was aware of Andrew's presence next to her, closer than anyone else sat, and tried desperately to ignore the goosebumps that formed when his hand brushed hers.

"Hey," Miles's voice, low in her ear, made her jump. "Sorry. We're ready to leave."

Charlie turned her head up, surprised at the reluctance she felt. She dragged her teeth over her lower lip and glanced at the new group of friends. Talk of a late dinner had been mentioned. She pictured sitting somewhere with them, laughing more and enjoying good food. The last time she had eaten in a restaurant had been when she was a child.

"I think I'm going to stay here."

"What?" he rocked back on his heels, resting an elbow on his knee. "Charlie,"

"I'm okay for now." she insisted. She felt ridiculous, like she was pleading with him to let her stay out past curfew. Ultimately, it was her decision whether she would stay or not. She understood the reluctance on his part. After all she had put him through the past few months and the threats that still existed, she understood why he wouldn't want her out on her own for an extended period of time. "I promise."

"Sorry," Andrew leaned close to her, one hand behind her back and the other forward near her leg, "couldn't help overhearing. I'll make sure she gets home okay."

Miles stared long and hard at the younger man. Still, there was skepticism. Charlie leaned in to him, mouth close to his ear and muttered,

"I have the knife you gave me. I'm not completely helpless."

"Where?" the doubt was evident in his tone. She put her hand on her thigh, gave a pointed look, and he shook his head in amazement. "I still don't like it."

"Miles, you need to give her breathing room." Nora tugged on his arm gently, trying to pull him away. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were joined at the hip. She's fine."

"I really am." Charlie insisted.

"And I will really make sure she's home at a decent hour." Andrew added.

"Trust me," she added quietly, eyes boring into Miles's. They gazed at each other for a long moment and Charlie had to hide her smile as she looked at her uncle. His expression was a mixture of worry, adoration, and a little bit of pride.

"Alright. Just... y'know, be careful." he touched her shoulder gently, then stood up. Nora smiled as she took Miles's hand.

"Have a good time. Enjoy the movie."

"Thank you." Charlie's voice was quiet and she stared up at Nora, trying to silently convey everything she meant with that thank you. The intention seemed to have been received because her smile widened and she nodded slightly.

"See you later." she pulled Miles away and Charlie watched as they disappeared into the darkness, saw him glancing back at her every few feet just to make sure she was positive with her decision.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say he was one overprotective dad." Cara commented.

* * *

"You didn't have to walk me home."

"I know."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem." Andrew's voice was quiet as they walked soundlessly down the street towards the townhouse. "I think your uncle would kill me if you showed up by yourself."

"I'm sure he's in bed by now."

"I doubt that." so did Charlie but she smiled anyway. "I had a good time tonight. I'm glad you decided to come."

"I am too actually."

"You seem surprised at that. What, did you think we were all bastards or something?"

"It's not that. Honestly. If we lived in a different time, I wouldn't think twice but with how things are..." she trailed off, shaking her head slightly. "Anyway, thank you again."

"It was a pleasure." they stood in front of the porch facing each other. Andrew had his hands in his pockets. Charlie wrapped her arms around herself, warding off the chill in the air. "Hopefully we can do it again."

"Definitely."

"Maybe... maybe without the rest of them." he muttered, leaning forward slightly. She blinked twice as she saw him coming, then turned her head to the side, baring her cheek to him. He pulled away immediately. "Sorry."

"No, I am." she swallowed hard and looked at him once more, smiling awkwardly. "I uh, I'm not really good at this."

"Seems like you're doing okay to me." he gave a lopsided grin. "I was in the wrong. No worries."

"You're right though, um, maybe one day we can go out just ourselves just... not yet."

"I understand. Really, I do."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

"Good. Well, good night."

"Good night." she slowly climbed the steps and reached for the door, then realized she didn't have a key. The knob was locked. She knocked three times and waited, smiling slightly at Andrew over her shoulder. She heard footsteps from within her home and a moment later, the door opened, Miles standing in the doorway. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping." he lifted his hand in greeting to Andrew, who said another good night, then walked in the direction of his own home. Miles shut the door after Charlie stepped inside and flipped the lock. "So how did it go?"

"I had a real nice time."

"I'm glad." he followed her into the kitchen and leaned casually on the wall. "As much as it killed me, you uh, I was proud of you tonight."

"Thank you." she sipped her water, turning to look at him.

"I mean it. You've been through a lot the past few months and for a while, you uh, you had me, well, frankly, pretty scared. This was a big step for you. I wasn't expecting that."

"It was a spur of the moment thing."

"That makes it even better then."

She smiled faintly and set her glass in the sink. She walked towards the doorway but stopped before him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt him exhale a deep breath, then he put his arms around her shoulders tightly.

"Thanks for waiting up for me." she mumbled.

"Anytime."

She held onto him a moment longer and said quietly, "You're going to be a great dad."

He felt his throat tighten at the statement and finally released her from his embrace.

"Thanks."

"I'll see you in the morning."


	16. Chapter 16

Frustration built up within Mia as she realized she had been wandering in circles for the past fifteen minutes. She had walked past Colonel Baker two times without realizing it was him. Without his uniform, he looked like any other person. Logically, she knew he couldn't be in uniform now and she hadn't been expecting it but seeing him in jeans and a short sleeved t-shirt completely threw her off. Add in the sunglasses hiding his typically smirking eyes and she had no idea.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he greeted her, shifting his weight against the tree he leaned on.

"You've been gone for two weeks."

"Oh. Did Tom send you to collect me?"

"He doesn't know I'm here. I'm supposed to be in New York looking for a Dr. Wilkins."

"What a naughty girl you are, not obeying your commanding general."

"He plans on killing my sister."

"What did you think I planned on doing?"

"You won't."

"Mm, yes, I will."

"Jeremy, please."

"Oh, it's Jeremy now."

"The men are clamoring to come and find you. They want to know why you haven't come back with Miles's head. They think you're too soft when it comes to him. And I think the same thing."

"Well, I think the way I ran my sword through his nephew shows I don't give a shit about Miles or anyone associated with him." he lowered his voice to a hiss so no one would hear him. He pulled the glasses off and she stepped back, seeing how angry he looked. He grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her in close to him. "I haven't come back because I'm biding my time. Unlike the rest of those fools, I know how Miles works, and I won't go running in guns blazing and get myself killed by him. If you or anyone else has a problem with that, then you can capture him."

"You're hurting my wrist."

He let her go and slipped his sunglasses back on, saying, "Besides, Tom wanted me to stop Miles from going to Charleston. He hasn't shown any signs of wanting to go. I sent word with someone that once they retrieve the pendant, then I'll come back to Jersey. I'm not leaving him unguarded."

"So you're just spying basically?"

"There's not much else to do."

"Or are you just waiting for something?"

"Maybe. But that's for me to know and you're not supposed to be questioning your superiors. Get out of here before someone sees us."

She took one last look at him but silently obeyed and walked away, trying to plan her next course of action. Jeremy stayed behind and turned his attention back to the group gathered a short distance away.

The truth was, he _was _waiting for something. He was done taking orders from Neville. Dammit, he had been there first. It had been Miles, Bass, and him. Everyone else had come later. If anyone was going to take over, it would be him. So Jeremy was perfectly content in letting Neville wait for him. The past fourteen days had been filled with meeting with Frank, keeping an eye on Miles, Nora, and Charlie. Neville could kiss his ass. Jeremy was no idiot. Staging an attack on the Mathesons on their turf would ultimately lead to his death. If he could scare them just a little, light a fire under their asses so to speak, that would be enough. He just needed to find his opening first.

He watched as the group began to stand and focused specifically on Charlie, who smiled bashfully up at the guy who held his hand down to help her to her feet. She slipped her hand in his, allowed him to pull her up, and as they started to walk with the others, kept their fingers locked together. Jeremy raised an amused eyebrow and slowly pushed himself off the tree. Things had just become interesting.

* * *

"I have no idea what I'm doing." Charlie suppressed a laugh as she fumbled with the joystick on the machine. Upon learning she had not been to the local arcade, Andrew and the rest had made it their mission to introduce her to the gaming industry. They had scattered throughout the large building and she had lost track of where most of them were.

"No, you're doing fine." he stepped up behind her and gently wrapped his hand around hers, maneuvering the stick with her. Luke, who had been her opponent in the boxing game, grumbled in annoyance.

"That's cheating."

"Shut up. You were losing anyway." he moved his left hand onto the console and started jabbing at the colored buttons, effectively trapping Charlie between his chest and the machine. She was having a hard time concentrating and lifted her head slightly to glance up at him. His eyes were glued to the screen but his mouth twitched slightly in an attempt to smirk. "You're supposed to keep your eyes on the game."

"Sorry." she looked back at the game as her character continued to pummel Luke's. All she could think about was Andrew. It had almost been two weeks since the night at the movies, well twelve days to be exact. Not that she was counting. Each of those days a couple of her new friends or all of them came to collect her in the morning and didn't let her home until early evening. They had gone fishing-a disastrous event in itself, Penny and Cara had taken her shopping, they had gone to dinner numerous times. Andrew often stopped by and sat on the porch with her. She had tried to take it slow, let herself grow accustomed to this new way of life, but she found herself falling too fast and as much as she loved it, it scared her. She didn't understand what it was about Andrew but she couldn't stay away. _Animal magnetism_, Nora had laughed the previous night, which caused Miles to gag and leave the kitchen, saying they could have their 'girl talk time.'

Charlie wasn't sure if that was it. Maybe it was the way he listened, or how he always seemed happy to see her, or could make her laugh. Maybe it was simply because she had been longing for some sort of companionship and now that she had it, she was quick to latch onto it. But no, that couldn't have been it. She didn't act like this when she saw Sam, Luke, or Ben. It was exclusive to Andrew. Andrew, who currently was pressed up against her back, which felt like it was on fire, and still had his hand over hers, which was tingling all over.

"You guys suck." Luke muttered as 'game over' blinked repeatedly on the screen. He walked away, shouting for Ben to come play air hockey with him.

"We were victorious." Andrew murmured, mouth close to Charlie's ear. She tipped her head up to look at him and smiled slightly. "Are you hungry?"

"A little bit."

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"Okay." she didn't hesitate as he took her hand and led her out of the arcade. It dawned on her that this would be the first time on their own. Even when he came to the house and sat, Nora and/or Miles were in the vicinity. She felt her stomach lurch with anxiety. _No, there's no reason for this_. Her head was telling her that two weeks was not enough time to learn to trust someone. _But Andrew is different. _He didn't push her, didn't make her feel uncomfortable. Once she had gotten over the initial hesitancy, she saw she may have been overreacting. There was also some unknown tie between them. They never talked about the hurt they had gone through but she could see the pain in his eyes, knew it reflected her own. Something had happened to him in his past and for that, she felt some sort of connection to him. There was someone else besides Miles and Nora who had suffered and it made her feel as though she wasn't completely crazy or alone.

* * *

They got sandwiches made at a nearby cafe, then went to sit on one of the benches near the Washington Monument.

"Can I ask you something?" Charlie said in between bites. Andrew nodded in response, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and looked at her. "What made you want to ask me to go out?"

"Um, well, I saw you that one day at the Mall with Miles."

"I saw you staring at me. I got creeped out."

"I figured," he laughed quietly, running a hand through his hair. "I thought you were pretty-are pretty. When I walked by that first day and saw you on the porch, I thought I got a second chance and decided I'd say hi. You... you looked like you could use a friend. My mom always said to treat people how you would want to be treated and I know when she-well, I know there have been times when I've felt like everything's caving in around me and I wish someone would extend a hand. I just want to help you Charlie. Why did you decide to come to the movie?"

"Nora, actually. I, I wasn't going to. I was... scared of everything. I still am, that's why I can't understand why-anyway, she told me sometimes I need to basically take control and not sit back and let life pass me by. I decided to just take a chance."

"How's it going so far?"

"Better than I expected or hoped." she smiled weakly and looked down at her lap, shredding the wrapper her sandwich had come in. "I know I'm not the best company-"

"I don't know why you're trying to down yourself. I like being with you. I like you. And I don't know what happened but I know things couldn't have been easy for you recently and I'm flattered that you chose me to take a chance on." he hesitantly reached over, slipped his fingers under her jaw. When she didn't pull away, he lifted her chin so they were looking at each other. "Is it, is it okay if I..."

He trailed off, leaning towards her. She nodded slowly, eyes flicking to his mouth. Her heart was pounding and she instantly felt a flair of embarrassment. Twenty one years old, never kissed someone, and Andrew likely had and it was going to be terrible and—her thoughts ceased as he brushed his lips gently over hers. He pulled back slightly to gauge her reaction. He knew she was fragile, didn't want to startle her. The slight smile on her face was encouraging so he moved in once more. This time he kissed her fully, thumb trailing along her jawline. She shifted towards him, hand going to his arm. He opened his mouth slightly but before he could do anything else, a voice startled them out of their embrace.

"Charlie?"

She pulled away from Andrew slightly, leaving about an inch between their mouths, and her breath was warm on his face.

"Charlie, is that you?"

She swallowed thickly and he frowned, sensing how tense she had suddenly became. He looked up to the man first, who was staring down at them. A wide grin crossed his face as Charlie turned to look at him.

"It is you! I thought so!" he sounded cheerful, clapped her roughly on the shoulder. "What a nice surprise. It's been a while, huh?"

"What...what are you-"

"I was just in the neighborhood. Hey, do me a favor. Let Uncle Miles know that I said hi, I'm in the area, and an old friend is waiting to see him. Alright? Alright, well, good seeing you." he tapped her again, ruffled her hair, and turned to walk off.

"Who was that?" Andrew looked back to Charlie, who was now shaking. "Charlie? What's wrong?"

"I'm-I'm sorry." she pressed a hand against her eyes, taking in a ragged breath. "I don't-"

"Come on," he stood up, then helped her stand, and wrapped an arm around her. He knew something bad had just happened. He didn't understand it but from her reaction he knew whoever the man was was a problem. "I know Miles and Nora are up in the Capitol today."

They moved quickly across the lawn and up the steps of the Capitol building. He led her to the area he knew his own father used as an office, knowing the Mathesons would be nearby. Sure enough, a group of officials stood in the old bullpen, pouring over several different maps. They all looked up when they entered. Some grunted their annoyance at being interrupted but Miles took one look at his niece and was across the room in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell happened?" he barked angrily at Andrew, who quickly released Charlie.

"I don't know. We were at lunch and this guy came up."

"Who?"

"I don't-"

"Charlie, who was it?" Miles gripped her shoulders gently, forcing her to look up at him. Tears were threatening to spill over and she sniffed loudly.

"Jeremy."

"What?" his grip on her loosened and she could only nod. Nora stopped at his side, hand tightening on the sleeve of his shirt. "Where?"

"By-" she cleared her throat and wiped a hand under her right eye. She shook her head, visibly shaken by the encounter.

"We were over at the Washington Monument." Andrew explained. "We... he came over and told her to tell you hi and an old friend was waiting to see you."

"Did he touch her?"

"No. Well, yeah, but he didn't hurt her."

"The Washington Monument?"

"Yeah. He walked away in that direction."

"Stay here with her. Don't leave until I come back." Miles turned his head to Nora, who nodded. "Alright. You okay?"

He squeezed Charlie once more, catching her attention. She hesitated, then gave a small nod. "I'll be back."

He glanced over his shoulder to his fiancee and saw the worried look in her eyes.

"Be careful." she murmured.

"I'll be fine." he dropped his hands from his niece and walked out of the room quickly.

"Charlie, come here." Nora extended an arm to her, pulling her close. "We'll go sit somewhere quiet, alright?"

She turned her attention to Andrew, whose face was furrowed in confusion and also worry.

"Do you want to find something to drink for her?"

He nodded silently and set off. She gave Nicholas a questioning look, nodding her head at the open door of his office. He nodded and followed her inside as she set Charlie on the long couch pressed against the wall.

"What was that all about?"

"Apparently an old Militia captain is in the area."

"Is it going to be a problem?"

"Miles will take care of it." she pushed Charlie's hair out of her eyes, looking to see how she was doing. Instead of the fear she had seen earlier, they had gone blank. "He has to."

"Here," Andrew appeared in the doorway, a tall glass of water in his hands. He eased onto the other side of Charlie, held the glass out to her. She lifted her head slightly and gave a weak smile.

"Thanks," she muttered, taking a long sip. "I'm sorry about-well, it kind of wrecked everything."

"Just means we get to try again," the corner of his mouth lifted in an impish grin. Her aunt and his father exchanged a look. Charlie blushed slightly, then turned her gaze to Nora.

"Why is he here?"

"I don't know." she ran a hand down her back, smiling comfortingly. "Don't worry about it. Miles is going to take care of everything."

Even as she said those words, Nora had her own anxieties. If Jeremy was in DC, it meant something else was sure to follow.


	17. Chapter 17

Miles moved swiftly through the streets, eyes raking over every open area he could find. He felt like kicking himself. How could he have been so stupid as to let Charlie out by herself? _She's a grown woman. She was in a group of people. She knows how to handle herself. Yeah and she's also barely recovered from a mental breakdown. _

"Well, you look like you're on the prowl," Jeremy's low drawl reached his ears and Miles slowly turned to his left. He found the smirking colonel standing in an alley between two buildings. "I knew if I was patient, you would eventually come to me. I knew that all I had to do was wave at Charlie and the poor thing would go running to you."

Miles looked around at the people passing by, then slowly crossed the street to meet Jeremy. They moved further into the alley, away from prying eyes, and before Jeremy could react, Miles slammed him against the brick wall, hands tightening on his collar.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't slit your throat right here."

"Ignoring the fact that you're unarmed, how about I've been here for two weeks and haven't laid a finger on either of your pretty girls' heads?"

"What are you doing then? Coming for forgiveness?"

"Hell no," Jeremy snorted in amusement. "I'm on orders."

"Spying?"

"Nope. Have other people to do that for me. They're everywhere too. You would be surprised. Though I will admit, I've been watching you a bit. I know everything. Nice digs. Is that what you get for supposedly killing the President of the Republic? I know you and Nora are playing house, settling down and a baby and all that. You've really gone soft, haven't you? One hundred percent domesticated. Unbelievable. It won't last. If the Militia doesn't overrun the city, Bass will have a nice time dealing with Nora."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Should have aimed a little more to the left." Jeremy stretched out a hand, tapped Miles right above his heart. "It was definitely touch and go for a while there. It would have been a dangerous situation sixteen years ago but with today's lack of medical help, you almost had him. But Bass has a strong will to live. Instead of worrying about your girlfriend and the kid, you should have made sure he was dead. Just a tip for next time."

"He's alive."

"Did I not explain myself clearly? Yes, Miles, Bass is alive. That's the only reason why you and your family are still standing right now. Tom wanted you dead or brought in. Since I'm not in the mood to deal with him, I asked Bass what he wanted. Tom's in charge at the moment by the way. Bass is... still regaining his strength. He's not very happy with you. He wants you to know that, to know that he's coming, and he's not giving the Republic up without a fight. To you or to Tom."

There was a moment of silence and Jeremy flicked his eyes over Miles's dazed expression with interest. Then, he jerked his head forward, catching the other man roughly in the nose with his forehead. Miles stumbled back, cursing loudly, and Jeremy took the opportunity to push him against the opposite wall. He pressed his forearm tightly against Miles's throat, heard the choking noise he emitted.

"I don't want to fight you Miles. We were always friends."

"That... that why you killed Danny?" he gasped, fingers clawing at Jeremy's arm.

"Danny was going to die one way or the other. It doesn't matter if it was me or Bass or that punk Neville. I'm doing this as a favor to you, to our friendship."

"Fuck you."

"I'm walking away right now. If I so much as get a whiff that you've sent someone after me, I will have your niece killed so fast, you won't even know what happened." he lowered his arm but tightened his hand around the collar of his shirt. "Bass likes a fair fight, you know that. Take this as your warning. All of this,"

He circled a finger in the air, referring to the city and the restoration, "is not going to last. I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you. Alright?"

He tapped Miles on the cheek roughly, smirking, "See you soon."

* * *

Rolling onto her side, Nora quickly realized she was alone in bed. A further look told her that Miles had never even come to bed. She took a moment to steady herself, then wandered out into the hallway to find him. He had been on edge ever since returning to the Capitol after his encounter with Jeremy. They had spent hours with Jackson, Nicholas, and the others preparing battle plans and Miles found himself on the end of something he never wanted to do again-commanding an army. Once they returned home, he had methodically worked through the townhouse, pulling out every weapon they had stashed and fine tuned each. Around eleven-thirty, Nora had given up and gone to bed with Miles's promise he would be right there. Now, at almost three in the morning, she found him hunched over the kitchen table, head in his hands with numerous maps spread out around him.

She quietly approached him, then gently laid a hand on the back of his neck, mumbling his name. It took another minute or two before he lifted his head, eyes bleary.

"What's going on?" his voice was rough from sleep and he leaned back against the chair, wincing at the stiffness in his back.

"I was going to ask you the same." she glanced at the maps, saw them all to be of the Pennsylvania/New Jersey/New York area. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out where the hell they are." he ran a hand through his hair, then reached for one map. "They've been too quiet."

She had to agree with that. Once Bass had died and the rebels stormed Philadelphia, it was as if the Militia lost all control and purpose. She knew they were still out there but Neville was keeping them well in line. It was obvious they were trying to stay under the radar. As the months progressed, they had various skirmishes but nothing too serious. For the most part, the Militia had seemed to up and disappear.

"I don't think doing this now is going to help any. Come to bed."

"Later. I want to finish this."

"No. That was an order, not a suggestion." to emphasize her point, she began neatly folding up the maps. He protested slightly, reached for the pile but she smacked his hand away and stepped in front of him to reach the others. She was basically in his lap and he tugged her down fully, wrapping his arms around her. He let his forehead fall against the back of her shoulder with a deep sigh. She reached one hand behind her, threaded it through his hair, and rubbed gently. "It's going to be okay."

"It's not going to end. No matter how many of them we get rid of there will still be more. We take out Neville, someone else will eagerly step into his shoes."

"Once the new government is in place-"

"It's not going to matter."

"People don't want to live like this Miles. They were scared of him. Georgia and the Plains were gearing up to attack the Republic. Enough was enough." she waited patiently for his response and sat still as his hands roamed down her arms and sides to finally rest against her stomach. She glanced down and placed hers over his. He lifted his head slightly, just enough so his chin rested on top of her shoulder.

"I don't think I can do this again."

"We have been doing it."

He sighed again but said nothing. After returning to the Capitol, he had made the others aware of the impending fight. He told them Neville was in charge, that they were somewhere in the northeast, and they planned to attack the city. He didn't know when or where or how many there would be but that was what they had scouts for. He mentioned that there seemed to be discord among the soldiers as not all of them had taken to Neville's leadership. What he failed to tell was the fact that Bass was still alive and that was the reason for the discord. He didn't want to admit it, didn't want to admit that he had failed. He could care less about the state of the nation. All he cared about was the fact Bass was out there and now extremely pissed off, like a bear that had been poked one too many times, and his family was in danger.

"Hey," he shook his head slightly, clearing his thoughts, and saw her sitting sideways, staring at him. One hand was on his face, careful of his bruised nose. "What's the matter?"

He knew he had to tell her. He didn't want to though. He didn't want her worrying, didn't want Charlie worrying. God knew he worried enough for all of them, even if he didn't say anything.

"We're going to leave the city."

"We can't do that."

"I don't want you here."

"I don't want to be here either but I know we have to."

"We don't have to. There are plenty of people that can take our place."

"Miles,"

"You don't understand."

"Then make me understand."

"Bass is alive."

That caught her attention. Her eyes widened slightly but she shook her head, "No, he's not."

"He is. Jeremy-"

"-is lying."

"No, he's not. I know him."

"Miles," her other hand came up, holding his face tightly, and forcing him to look at her. As he suspected, there was fear brewing in her brown eyes. "Miles, he is _not_. There is no possible way."

"He said that he almost didn't make it, but he did and is gearing up and the first place he's coming is here."

"We both saw-"

"Saw me shoot him, yeah. I didn't check to make sure he was dead. Did you? I was too busy worrying over Charlie. And now, I've been settling into this normal, apple pie life. I thought this time, things would go right, and I let my guard down and put you, the baby, and Charlie at risk."

"No, that's not true." she shook her head slightly, frowning. "What happened to what you said a couple weeks ago? You asked if I trusted you to protect us and that nothing bad would happen. Or were you humoring me?"

"I wasn't expecting this."

"So now that's changed?" she moved her hand, pushing back the strands of hair that brushed his forehead. "I know it's hard. I know that no matter what happens, nothing is going to erase close to forty years of friendship. I know that the fit of anger you shot him in made it seem like you couldn't care less but I know it still hurt. But you know that it's not him anymore. It hasn't been for a long time. Whoever Bass was is not the same person that maybe is alive right now."

She leaned in to him, rested her forehead against his jaw, and sighed, "I trust you. Even when you think you can't do something, I know you can."

"I...I'm afraid of losing you." he muttered, voice cracking slightly.

"Good thing I don't plan on going anywhere then." her hands fell to his shoulders, rubbing comfortingly.

"You know he's coming for you, right?"

"I know." she tried to sound relaxed but her hands tightened on him out of fear. The thought of being anywhere near Bass, if he was even alive, terrified her.

"I'll die for you."

"Mm, no dying. Because," she lifted her head slightly, forced a smile on her face. She took his hand, put both of theirs against her stomach again, "this one's going to be a handful."

"A mini you? Definitely."

"No, a mini us. So between my charm, your good looks, and both our bad ass skills, we're going to be in trouble."

"Probably be a good idea to be more scared of that than Bass." he muttered, shrugging his eyebrows. She laughed softly and nodded.

"Probably."

"Charlie uh, she uh, said the other night that I would be a good-or no, a great dad."

"She's right."

He scoffed at this, rubbed his free hand over his eyes, "Wish I thought the same."

"Like I said, even when you think you can't do something, I know you can."

"How?"

"Because you're sitting here at three in the morning, trying to find a way to protect us and the baby's not even fully formed yet. I see you with Charlie and she's a grown adult and yet your paternal instincts still come flowing out. I know you'd willingly jump in the line of fire for us without even a second thought."

"That's not-"

"Good enough? I'd list more but it's late and I'm tired. If you need an ego booster, we can do it in the morning." she said teasingly, smiling again. He didn't though and she shifted slightly at the intense gaze he was aiming at her.

"I've wanted this for a long time. I was just too afraid to admit it." his voice was quiet. It wasn't like him to say something like this but it was the truth, he wanted her to know that, and he was beginning to doubt that he would even have a chance to enjoy that life. "Even back then. It killed me when I heard you miscarried. I blamed myself for a long time. I wanted you to know that. I wasn't indifferent or unaffected."

"You don't need to say that."

"I do though."

"Well, thank you." her eyes were glistening and she saw a faint tinge of red at his cheeks. "And don't worry. Although I completely doubt it, if you turn out to be terrible at the whole parenting thing, you've got me to keep you from going completely off the rails. We're not entirely hopeless."

"Thank God for that." he leaned forward and kissed her gently. When they separated, she put her head down on his shoulder and hugged him tightly. He leaned his head against the top of hers, sighed against her hair, and let his eyes shut momentarily. When he opened them again, he caught sight of the kitchen windows and saw the shadow move across the glass. Immediately, he went into battle mode and quickly moved her off his lap.

"What?" she frowned at him as he stood, grabbed the dagger he had resting on the table. "Miles,"

"Stay here." he walked out of the kitchen and headed for the front door. As he reached the door, he heard the loud crash of something breaking out on the porch. He swung the door opened and jumped out, lunging at the figure sprawled on the steps. He grabbed the person, hauling them to their feet, and ignored the protesting yells. When he dragged them into the house, he froze as he saw who he was holding.

"Who the hell puts a potted plant in the dead center of their porch?" Mia grumbled.

Nora appeared in the hallway and there was the sound of approaching footsteps as Charlie dragged herself out of bed, woken up by the yelling. The sisters both stopped as their eyes landed on each other. Nora knew she looked like hell and the look on Mia's face told her so. She had fallen asleep in one of Miles's shirts and her hair was loose and mussed up. She lifted her hand to her face, rubbing at her eyes. The light reflected off her ring, catching Mia's attention. The younger Clayton glanced at her sister, then up at Miles, and rolled her eyes.

"I thought this would die out but I guess not." she muttered.

"What are you doing here?" Nora crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She glared icily at her sister, though she was somewhat curious as to why. Logic and fear told her she was still working for the Militia and had been sent here by Neville or Jeremy.

"I'm here to help you." she said instead, a statement which caught them all off guard.


	18. Chapter 18

"Help?" Miles spoke first and looked down at Mia with an incredulous look. "Why should we believe you?"

"I believe I was talking to my sister, not you."

"You're in no position to get nasty so I'd watch it if I were you."

"Why are you here again?" she tilted her head to look at him, eyes narrowed. There was a palpable tension as they glared at each other. Though they had only met a few times while he was still commanding the Militia, and once this past summer, Mia had always harbored a dislike for Miles. Miles, for his part, had brushed the feelings aside. He had too much shit to worry about than what a petulant teenager thought. However, her betrayal in trying to hand them over to Strausser had broken his neutrality.

"Okay, enough." Nora's voice broke through their mutual irritation. He looked over to her, holding back a sigh as he saw the look in her eyes. He understood what her thinking process was. No matter what her sister had done, she was still her sister. There was a part of her that would always want to accept her and protect her. He knew with their strained relationship, Nora tried her best to bring them closer together. She had been so eager to bring Mia into their group, to finally have that bond to her little sister. Then Mia went and pissed it away.

"You have to believe me." Mia turned her attention to Nora, eyes somber.

"I told you not to come find me."

"I know you didn't mean that. You were mad but Nora, I did that for you. No matter what's happened between us, I would never want you hurt."

"You don't think I wouldn't be hurt if Miles was killed?"

"He's-" Mia lifted a hand weakly, gesturing to the formal general. She sighed irritably, knowing her opinion of him would not change her sister's. "Would it have mattered as long as you were alive?"

"Yes." she sounded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The simple answer made something swell in Miles's chest. "But that's not what we're talking about. Why are you here?"

"I told you. I want to help."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Everything I have done has been to protect you. General Monroe told me if I found Miles and that necklace, then he would spare you. Monroe's dead and General Neville is in charge now. He plans on killing you no matter what. Why would I hand you right to him?"

"This isn't you."

"Of course it's me."

"You've never wanted anything to do with me no matter how hard I tried. All of a sudden, you start popping up saying that you want to try again. You did this once before and you nearly got us all killed. Why is this time different?"

"Because you're my sister and you've been right all these years. I was mad Nora. I was mad that you and Derek got to stay with Dad and I couldn't. What made you two so special? Instead of trying to make the most of what we had, I lashed out at you. It wasn't your fault. It was Dad's. I never, ever want anything to happen to you."

"And?" she knew there was a catch. With Mia, there was always a catch. Her sister sighed again and made a reluctant sort of face.

"I don't want to work for the Militia. General Monroe was more willing to let me explore my options. I wasn't exclusively bounty hunting for them. Neville expects me at his beck and call whenever he says the word. He's keeping me on a leash."

"So is this about your relationship with me or your lack of freedom?"

"What does it matter? I'm trying to help. However horrible you thought Monroe was, Neville is ten times worse. Look, he doesn't know that I'm here. He thinks I'm in New York. I risked everything to come and tell you. The assault on the city is going to occur on June 20."

"That's the day the new legislation to reunite the states is going to be signed." Nora looked up at Miles, a frown forming on both their faces. The tip of his tongue darted out over his lower lip as he digested this new information. That date had only been decided on a few days ago when Georgia finally had unanimously agreed to the terms of the new government. He knew the general public wouldn't be made aware of the news until everything was completely finalized.

"How do they know that?" he asked quietly.

"Probably one of their informants. I know Colonel Baker mentioned someone-Hamilton, maybe? I'm sure they've been in contact since he's been in the city."

"And you know this how?"

"I overheard Neville as I was leaving for my assignment. I know a lot of what goes on in that house. It's in New Jersey, by the way, about a half hour walk from the Pennsylvania border. Basically farmland. See, I could help. Up until now, you had no idea where they were. They have a lot of information about what's going on here. They know about the government, the pendants, you."

"You've been spying on us." Nora said flatly.

"No. I just started. I only told them that Miles was going for a pendant, which he hasn't and is making me out to be a liar, and you would be staying behind. That's all I've said. I didn't even know where you were before this trip. I've been staying mostly around the Capitol. Like I said, they have others." Mia stared for a long moment at her sister. Her lip wobbled slightly and she shook her head. "I don't blame you for being mad or not wanting to trust me but everything I said was the truth. I'm trying to fix things Nora. Do what you want with the information but at least I got the chance to clear my conscience and do some good for a change."

Nora shifted her stance slightly, uncrossed her arms, and looked down at the floor for a moment. She mentally reviewed all that she had been told and looked up to find Miles gazing intently at her. She saw him roll his eyes, already knowing her decision, and shook his head slightly.

"It's late. We'll talk in the morning. I'll um, I'll get you set up in one of the rooms."

"Wait a minute," Miles finally spoke up, taking a step forward. He had long since let go of Mia and put his hands on his waist, "absolutely not."

"Miles," Nora sounded tired, as if the sudden appearance had completely drained her, "it's fine."

"Fine? You realize Jeremy is out there right now, right? And you're going to let his known associate stay in our house so, what? So she can open the door and let him waltz right in?"

"She's my sister. She needs somewhere to stay. Jeremy knows better than to come here anyway, even if she planned that. And if you're so skeptical about her, at least this way you can keep an eye on her."

He scowled at her until she disappeared down the hallway with Mia. Charlie waited silently, head tilted up in an anxious expression.

"Do you think..." she started but trailed off almost immediately.

"I don't know what the hell to think." he raked a hand roughly through his hair, sighing deeply. "What I do know is Nora is not going to budge."

* * *

"You know I'm taking a huge risk keeping you here, right?" Nora asked quietly she sat on the edge of the bed, eyes cast downward as her sister changed into a set of her spare clothes.

"I know."

"Am I going to regret it?"

"No."

"I hope not."

"What are you doing here?" Mia tugged the t-shirt down over her head and turned to look at her sister.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you living with Miles and his niece? Why are you even indulging the idea of being with him?"

"I'm living with him because we're in a committed relationship and that's because I'm in love with him."

"Despite all the hell he's put you through?"

"Nothing's 100% perfect all the time. You have to work at it. You fight for it." she went silent, feeling her emotions rising, and grazed a hand over her stomach lightly. She tilted her head up to Mia with a small smile. "You'll understand one day when you have someone in your life."

"Right," she snorted at the idea. She moved towards the bed and Nora stood, taking that as her sign to leave.

"I'm going to take your weapons."

"You do that."

She moved to the dresser, where the pistol and short sword were resting, and picked them both up. Turning back to her sister, she gazed at her for a moment, trying to choose her words wisely.

"Mia, you are my sister and I love you. If you try and double cross me again though, things are going to end badly. I have a family now. I need to protect them and I won't let anything come in the way of them or let anyone try to harm them."

"You'd pick them over me."

"I told you this the last time."

"No, you told me to give you a few weeks, because you made a promise to Charlie. It's been almost a year now and you're still siding with them. You really think they're your family?"

"Miles and I are getting married." Mia snorted at the statement, rolling her eyes upwards. Nora ignored the reaction and continued, "Charlie is his niece-my niece. She's not going anywhere. And most importantly, we're, we're having a baby."

"Great, he's multiplying."

"I'm just letting you know, so that if you were trying to pull something, you would know just exactly what you're facing. This goes beyond just me now. I can't let anything happen to them." she finished quietly. Mia did not give any response. Nora sighed inwardly, then gestured to the closet as she walked towards the door. "There should be another blanket in there, I think, if you get cold. Have a good night."

She shut the door silently behind her, then made her way towards her own room. She saw Charlie's door was shut with no light coming from the crack at the bottom. Miles had his back to the door when she entered their room and made no effort to turn over to face her as the door clicked into place. She contemplated locking it as well, but thought of Charlie, if God forbid, she needed to get to them. Though, knowing Charlie, she probably had her own door barricaded. She flipped the lock, placed the weapons on her dresser, and then crawled into bed. She rolled onto her side and almost had her arm around Miles when she moved onto her back and stared silently up at the ceiling, suddenly afraid to touch him.

"I know you think I'm an idiot."

"I didn't say that."

"I didn't say you said it. I said you think it."

"She's playing on your insecurities."

"Maybe."

"Not maybe. Most likely, probably, almost definite."

"Miles,"

"She's your own personal Bass."

"Yeah, exactly." she propped herself up on her arm and pulled on his shoulder, tugging him onto his back to face her. "And that's why you know that even though I'm struggling with this, I'm still willing to do whatever it takes to keep you and Charlie safe. And I let her know that. I'm going to prove you wrong."

"I hope to God that you do."


	19. Chapter 19

Aaron jumped as a finger flicked painfully against his ear, jolting him out of his sleep. He scowled at Miles, who stared back coolly with his arms crossed.

"Sleeping on the job?"

"It was a bit of a late night."

"Get used to it. What sort of progress have you made with this?" he swept a hand over the group of battered cell phones on the table in front of the computer tech.

"You know without cell towers, they're going to be useless right?"

"We've been covering our bases."

"Not long range."

"Are any of them in any working condition?"

"Some. I outfitted them with a common channel, like a walkie-talkie except it would have a wider range once the towers are back in order. Think basic Nextels except any kind of phone. It's easier than calling."

"Does it work?"

"It's temperamental at the moment." Aaron picked up a fourth generation iPhone, held down the button to power it on, then held it out to Miles. The other man took it slowly and blinked a few times at the sandy beach on the screen with the prompt _slide to unlock_. His finger fumbled twice to switch the screen to the menu and he growled quietly in annoyance. He hadn't used a cell phone in sixteen years and it just had to be one of those damn touchscreens he had been adamant against getting. He had a sudden image of Bass in the Challenger the night of the blackout, grinning and giggling over his latest conquest. He pushed the thought away and focused instead on Aaron's smirking face.

"I can still kick your ass." he commented. His relationship with Aaron was an odd one. Miles would admit that he was grateful for the help he had given at Drexel's and the fact that he had basically saved Nora's life but his actions in Philadelphia somewhat negated those moments. They had found him hidden in the escape route on their way out of Independence Hall. _What would he have been able to do anyway_? Still, he had been a major asset in reviving technology for the restoration. "What about the computers?"

"That's going to take some time. Let me show you what I've got so far." he rolled the office chair to another table, Miles slowly following after him.

* * *

Nora quietly slipped into the office Miles used and found him standing at the window with his back to the door. She crossed the floor to stand next to him and gazed out onto the sidewalk below.

"Mia left this morning." she said softly. He grunted in response, lifting the coffee mug to his mouth. "She said she'll be back in a week."

"What, does she sit there for two hours, then head out?"

"She said it only takes about two days." she glanced up at him, noting the tension in his shoulders. "What's the matter?"

"We sent a group to get Hamilton. He skipped town so they're out there trying to find him."

"Who went?"

"Jackson, that Harris guy, Mike. A few others I forgot." he turned away from the window and sat at the desk, taking another long drink from the mug.

"And why didn't you go?"

"Hamilton wouldn't have come back alive if I was heading that mission."

"Is he going to make it through his interrogation?" she asked quietly. He lifted his head slightly, smirking, even though she was behind him and couldn't see.

"What makes you ask that?"

"I just know you aren't all that... objective when it comes to your opinion of Frank."

"Nothing to consider being objective about. He's been a little shit since the day I met him. Needed to be put in his place then but Jeremy took pity or whatever on him and brought him in under his wing. Am I surprised that he turned out to be a spy? No. And I'm definitely not surprised that it is Jeremy he's been reporting back to. But I've already said all this. Did anyone listen? No. He was reformed. There was no possible way he could have been working for them."

"Wow, you really managed to turn this all around and make it about us." she came around to the front of the desk. "You are quite something."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I said those things didn't I? The first time he came for negotiations? You said not to trust him and we shouldn't let him in on meetings. I said he hadn't been in the Militia for eight years. People change."

"Oh. So, you think that maybe people who have known ties to tyrannical regimes trying to crush us shouldn't be trusted? Like, your sister? Like, your supposed friend?"

"I don't know General. Should they?" she glowered at him and he smirked, even though the retort stung.

"You forgive too easily. The guy left you for dead, broken and bloodied on a sidewalk in freezing temperatures. But, hey, you knew each other in college and he didn't really mean it, especially since he had been ganged up on by his fellow soldiers. After all, he deserted as soon as he could walk again. No, what really happened was Bass thought he could kill two birds with one stone. So he sets you up to get attacked, knowing that besides me, Hamilton is probably one of the only soldiers you trust to interact with. Obviously none of my own soldiers are going to jump me and even if they tried, I would have them killed in about a minute flat.

"So that leaves Hamilton. He's promised a promotion if he lets the shit get kicked out of him and to ignore the fact that you're injured. Bass knows that Hamilton has been wanting a position in the espionage unit. He needs someone in Georgia, since there were hints that they were going to attack. If he has someone on the inside, he'll have the advantage. Hamilton sits for years, moving up the political ladder and providing information and when the Republic falls, Jeremy remembers and decides to use him for his own gain. Hamilton eagerly agrees to help since he's had a man crush on Jeremy for as long as anyone can remember.

"Your sister sells us out, plain and simple. Kid has wanted nothing to do with you all her life. A little strange that she just appears and is suddenly all tears and apologies and wanting to stay up late braiding hair and painting nails or whatever it is that you do. What it probably is, is Neville knows that you have already once before welcomed her with no questions asked and knowing that blood is thicker than water, you will do the same again, especially since you're now hormonally unbalanced at the moment. Chick flick moments all around."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You've hurt me a lot more than they have combined and I forgave you. Are you saying that maybe I shouldn't have? Or are you the exception to your stupid theory?"

"I would never do what they've done." he chose to ignore her first statement. He would never physically hurt her but he knew she meant emotionally, knew she meant when he broke up with her originally and the things that he had said, and not for the first time, the guilt ate away at him.

"Well I don't know that. After all, I... what was it you said? I forgive too easily, too trustworthy, oh and... hormonally unbalanced?" she nodded slightly, tapping her fingers on the edge of the desk. She turned and started walking for the door, saying, "Right. Okay, well, obviously this is a tense time right now and since I'm apparently a weak link, I wouldn't want to cause any more problems for you. So I'll see you later."

"Nora,"

When she hit the door, she turned to him with an icy glare in her eyes but he clearly saw the hurt expression behind it.

"I get that you're pissed off but that's no reason to take it out on me. I'm not the one at fault."

He started to open his mouth but she left the room, slamming the door loudly behind her. He knew he was wrong, knew she was right. Ever since two days ago, the world seemed to be rapidly deteriorating around them and he lashed out at the first person he could find, which unfortunately was her. His fingers clenched angrily around the edge of the mug. _Why the hell would you say that to her? _After several minutes of wallowing in his self-hatred, there was a soft knock on the outside of the door.

"What?"

The growl did nothing to deter the person on the other side, who poked their head through the small opening. Over the past few months, the restoration team had learned to either deal with Miles's temper or avoid him at all costs. Dianna, the young blonde who had self-appointed herself as his assistant, stared across the room.

"You said to get you when the recruitment line got near the end."

"Thanks."

"Do you need anything?"

"Nope."

"Okay." she slipped back out, shutting the door much more quietly than his fiancee had. Yesterday had been spent in meetings trying to formally organize their ragtag group of supposed soldiers into a true army. Miles had been less than thrilled to find out Jackson had delegated that job to him. _You've done this before. You know what they'll do. You can anticipate attacks and prepare them better than anyone else, _Jackson had said as Miles tried to protest. Ultimately, he knew that no matter how many times he refused, he would still be leading their army. The first order of business was to bulk up their numbers. He had no idea how many still remained in the Militia but the former rebels were sorely lacking. Extra forces would help no matter what.

As he exited the Capitol and walked out onto the Mall where the session would take place, he was hit with the memories of the times he had done this for the Militia-and of meeting Nora. A part of him wanted to find her and apologize, even though groveling wasn't his style. The other part knew he had a job to do though and also, it would probably be best for them both to cool off for a while.

He approached the group of six captains he and Jackson had handpicked and nodded at James Collins, a rebel leader from New Jersey, who he had fought alongside during the days following the fall of Philadelphia, and now led missions out of DC. Miles felt comfortable enough to say he could trust the man and perhaps even considered him a friend. He was familiar with two others- Bryan Hanks and Hannah West, both of whom knew Nora and had been leaders in their own groups. The other three he knew in passing and had been Jackson's choices. At least one of them did not seem too happy to see him.

"Small group," James commented as Miles stopped to stand near him. They both glanced over the men and women assembled and Miles shrugged.

"Still two more days of this."

"You're not worried?"

"No. How many are there?"

"77."

"Alright, I want to get them split into groups and run through a series of exercises, figure out their strengths and weaknesses."

"You're the general." one of the men-_Ted? Todd? Tad?_, Miles was awful with names-commented snidely.

"No need for that. Give me your input." he didn't appreciate the rudeness, though he knew it was expected. Still, he wasn't going to make a scene in front of the recruits. It would make it seem like there was no unity between their leaders. The other man lifted his hands in surrender and kept quiet. Miles stared for a moment longer, then turned to face the recruits. He moved down the line, breaking them into groups, and hesitated when his eyes landed on Andrew and Luke. Directly behind them were Sam and Ben. Andrew looked him straight in the eye, filled with determinism, as did Luke. Sam and Ben looked as though they wanted to be anywhere else and weren't taking this serious, which was proved true by the exaggerated bow Sam gave Miles.

"Sir,"

"Knock it off." Andrew kicked backwards, whacking his friend in the shin.

"No. You got somewhere better to be than here then leave now Bennett because I won't put up with your shit." Miles gave the patented General Matheson death glare, waiting until Sam's smirk wiped off his face. "That goes for everyone. If you don't want to be here, that's fine. It's your decision. Don't waste your time and definitely don't waste mine. Just know things are changing for the better around here and now is the time that we need you to step up and defend the rights that you're being given back. We're facing serious threats and we need to be ready to act at a moment's notice. But we need the manpower to do so. We don't have a lot of time and we won't be going easy on you. I know some of you have fought before but this is still going to be a crash course in military training. If you want to back out, now's the time."

He looked around at the people, waiting for them to start walking away. To his surprise and relief, no one did.

"Alright. Let's get started then."


	20. Chapter 20

The townhouse was silent when Miles arrived home later that evening. He looked through the rooms for Nora, feeling his anxiety rising each time he looked into an empty room, and finally doubled back into the living room to find her asleep on the couch. A book was resting open on her chest, with the spine facing upwards, and rose and fell with each breath she took.

Quietly, he lowered himself onto the floor in front of the couch and gently ran a hand over her arm. She didn't wake up at the contact, which he was somewhat grateful for and moved his hand to her stomach. He leaned his chin into the cushion and sighed softly. It was mind blowing and terrifying to him that in four-_it was four, wasn't it,_ he wondered, counting on his free hand, then nodding to himself- four short months there would be another person to worry about and take care of. There was even the added bonus of the fact that he or she was going to be completely incapable of doing anything for themselves.

"You're a jackass." she muttered quietly, catching his attention, and weaved a hand into his hair. She tightened her grip painfully on him and he winced, wondering if she would yank out a handful in retaliation.

"I thought you were asleep."

"You thought wrong."

"I didn't want to bother you."

She snorted at this and dropped her hand from his head. She shut her book, then tossed it onto the coffee table without a word. He glanced up at her, then back to her stomach.

"I don't think your mom likes me too much anymore." he muttered.

"You're lucky if I like you at all. And don't try to be cute, like that'll earn you brownie points."

"I'm not trying to be cute. You're supposed to talk to them. They can hear."

"And how would you know?"

"I read it. So it's not good to fight because that would probably upset them."

"Maybe you should take your own advice then."

"I am." he lifted his head to look at her and pressed the heel of his hand against his temple. "I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to have me snap at you like that."

"That wasn't a snap. That was like a list of every fault I have."

"That's not true."

"You basically made me out to be some sort of weak idiot. I did survive for four years without you, you know. And I did it on the road, fighting Militia, making bombs- _not _hiding out in some damn bar turning into a drunkard."

"You feel better?"

"Hell no." she glowered at him, felt her irritation rise once more as he smirked at her. "Don't look at me like that. I don't need your protection. You think you're Prince Charming or some other knight in shining armor."

"Hardly."

"Yeah, you do. It's like you don't believe I could take care of myself, like I see some sort of suspicious person and go running off to be their best friend."

"I get that you're the strong, independent woman. I do, honestly. That doesn't mean that I still don't have a panic attack every time I see you pick up a knife or piece a bomb together. So sue me if I turn all caveman on you because I want to make sure that you're safe."

"You don't need to denigrate me in the process."

"I said I was sorry. As soon as you left, I wanted to follow you. But you understand that I was right?"

"Some apology this is turning out to be."

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"I was right about Hamilton."

"That was a long shot. I haven't seen the guy in five years and because I was cordial, you freak out."

"He-"

"I know what happened. I was there, remember? I'm sorry that I didn't hold a grudge. It wasn't like he personally beat me. He was being a coward. Whatever. I had bigger things to worry about. So it wasn't fair for you to throw that in my face, like we go out for drinks every Friday night. I've seen him twice in nine years. _Twice_."

"I know."

"And as far as my sister goes, I told you I have that covered. Just trust me for once."

"I do trust you. I'm still going to worry though."

"Find a more productive way to show it then. I'm not doing this anymore. I'm so tired of thinking you've taken one step forward and then the next day it's one step back."

"I'll keep my mouth shut. I promise."

"Yeah, right," she huffed as he leaned in to kiss her. She kept her lips pressed tightly together and would not kiss him back.

"C'mon,"

"You don't seem to understand how mad I am at you."

"I do. I'm a jackass. I get it. I wounded your feminist pride." he trailed his thumb gently over her lip, chuckling when she nipped at him.

"You might not want to sound so flippant when you admit defeat. Doesn't come off too convincing."

"Okay. I am sorry that I clearly hurt your feelings, as I have already stated. My flaw is that I'm in love with you and that makes me act like a raving lunatic."

"Cute. Did you read that in a book too?"

"You're funny." he stood up, easily maneuvered around her to lie on the couch. There was more than enough room for the two of them. He settled behind her and put his arm over her.

"Who invited you to join me?"

"I figured with that joke, I was forgiven."

"It's not that easy. I have to get up anyway. I need to make dinner."

"Don't worry about it. Charlie went out with Andrew. Unless you're hungry now, I'll cook in a little bit."

"You'll cook? Man, you really are groveling aren't you?"

"I cook. Don't act like I'm parting the Red Sea." he kissed the side of her neck, then dropped his head to the cushion and leaned his forehead against the back of her head.

"Reading baby books?"

"I like studying. That wasn't to impress you."

"Talking to the baby?"

"I've got its best interest at heart. Again, not to impress you."

"What's next? Full body massage?"

"If you want it."

"This is too much."

"Have I really been that awful?"

She made some noise but said nothing. He didn't either and soon, she heard his breathing even out. Two days with little sleep had finally caught up with him. She turned over slightly just enough so she could see him.

"Still a jackass," she muttered, pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. He shifted under her but didn't respond. She was still angry with him, of course, but the fact that he took the time to apologize-even if he didn't sound completely serious- showed a change and she couldn't ignore that. The old Miles would not have done that. He would have ignored what had happened and pressed onward like everything was fine. Plus, she grudgingly would admit that he did have a point. Still, he didn't have to act the way that he did. _That's Miles though, _she thought to herself, _never was good at explaining himself. _


	21. Chapter 21

"Miles said it was recruiting."

Andrew winced as Charlie touched the side of his face gently. She frowned deeply as she inspected the bruises running from his forehead to his jaw.

"We trained a little too." he muttered, restraining himself from jerking away from her hand. "Trust me, the other guy looks worse."

They sat on a blanket under a tree at the Mall, a little bit away from the larger group that was listening to the live band perform. He leaned back on his hands as she knelt over him and looked over his injuries.

"I didn't know you wanted to join." she said quietly. It was stupid that she would be getting upset and stressed over this. One, it wasn't as if he needed to discuss his decisions with her. They hadn't been together long. She knew though her apprehension extended past Andrew and into her own family. The recent events had only made her worry and become more fearful for Miles and Nora. Still, she had seen too many people die at the hands of the Militia and the thought of losing Andrew, even after only knowing each other for such a short time, terrified her. It may have been selfish of her but she wanted to be able to get to know him more and wanted to think about what could be in store six months down the road or a year or two. She was tired of the death and destruction. Why couldn't life just be normal for a while?

"I always did. I tried helping the rebellion but my dad put his foot down a lot. He didn't want me or Laura anywhere near it."

"I wish I thought the same, that I had listened to my dad." she dropped her hand from his face and joined it with her other, twisting her fingers together in her lap. She gazed over his shoulder at the band, her thoughts drifting to the last time she had really spoken with her father, which had been their argument the night before his death.

"What'd you do, run away from home?" he teased gently.

"It must have been different growing up in the city. I lived in that tiny village most of my life and I hated it. I thought life was better elsewhere, that he didn't know what he was talking about. I pushed and pushed and he never budged. I thought he was a coward, that he wasn't man enough to face the Militia. Truth was he just wanted me and my brother safe and I screwed that all up." a dazed expression formed on her face as she trailed off. Andrew sat up straight and stared at her for a long moment.

"I highly doubt that's what happened."

"You weren't there."

"Why don't you tell me then."

She directed her attention to him, contemplating her options, but at the kind expression on his face, she began speaking.

"The Militia came for my dad. Danny got in the way, started threatening them, and a fight broke out. My dad got shot and Danny got taken away. Before he died, my dad told me to find Miles, that he would help me, and that's how I got here."

"So... what would you have done?"

"I could have stopped Danny."

"And willingly let the Militia take your father? You wouldn't have fought?" he asked quietly. It made her pause for a moment. She had never thought about it. What would have happened if the Militia had taken him? Would she have just stood by as they dragged him away?

"I don't... no, I don't think so but that's... I don't know. It doesn't matter. All along the way, I failed a lot of people. I got them into scenarios that should never have happened."

"You know, the thing I've learned over the years is people make their own decisions. I know you wouldn't drag Miles into a burning building or expect him to follow. He would do it on his own."

"I need to learn to keep my nose out of trouble."

"From what I've seen, it looks like trouble finds you."

She flicked an eyebrow upwards, rubbed her hand over her branded wrist. He had seen her do it so many times in the two weeks they had been together. Silently, he reached over and pushed the end of her sleeve up, curious as to what was there. She tried to pull away but he had already seen the brand. She froze, fearful to meet his eye, and inhaled a sharp breath as his fingers traced over the raised M.

"Why?" his voice was soft. He didn't seem angry or hurt. Just curious, as if he knew there had to be another reason rather than her willingly joining.

"I was trying to save someone. It was when we were trying to find Danny. A boy got taken by Militia for a conscription facility and we ran into his brother and the other kids they lived with. I said we'd get him back. I pretended to be a recruit and thought it wouldn't be as hard as it was to get him out. They branded me before I had a chance to get out."

"That was brave of you."

"It was stupid."

"I don't know anyone who would stick their neck out for some random kid they didn't know and dive right into the face of danger."

"Because it's stupid and reckless."

"You saved someone's life."

"I needed Miles and Nora to come save mine. When we finally got to Danny, I... I reacted without thinking and got myself caught. Danny tried saving me and wound up getting killed."

"I know how you feel."

She finally looked up at him and he smiled weakly before he continued on.

"Militia came to conscript me when I was fourteen so it was nine years ago. My dad was out of the city. They didn't want Laura and Luke was only thirteen. My mom refused to let me go and got in the way. They killed her. I blamed myself for a long time."

"You were a child. What would you have done?"

"See? How come it makes sense when it's other people but you can't realize that for yourself?" he smiled again, "I thought if I tried being more assertive and agreed to go, they would have left her alone. But I know she wasn't letting me go without a fight. She made that choice, to protect me. She knew what the risks were and did it anyway. I felt like I had failed. My dad always said when he would leave that I was the man of the house and to protect my mom and sister. I didn't do that. I was terrified of what he would do when he came home. Then, I was mad and I swore then that I would do everything I could to stop them. That's why I joined. I don't want her death to be for nothing. She didn't want me living that life, wanted things to be better for me and Laura. I'm not going to sit back and let the Militia try to regain power."

"You make a good point."

"Taken a lot of years of therapy to get there." he joked, though he held a serious tone in his voice. "Megan knows what she's talking about."

"You... you know?"

"I've seen her come to the house a few times. It's not exactly rocket science. I still see her once in a while when I feel like I'm losing my mind." he leaned closer to her, wrapping their fingers together. "It's not something to be ashamed of."

"I feel like it's admitting defeat."

"I'd say you were defeated if you didn't go to her. It's helping isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"And... you've got me. I'll always listen. It helps when there's someone who has been there before."

She nodded slightly, then leaned in and kissed him. He winced at the contact, pulling away with a soft hiss.

"I'm sorry." she squeezed his shoulder gently but he shook his head.

"Just a little sore. Try it again. I think it helped alleviate the pain a little bit." he gave her a cheeky grin and she gave a short laugh but did kiss him again.

"Come on, you need ice for that." she stood up and he followed suit. They collected the blanket and the empty food containers, then started to walk towards the townhouse.

"I don't want to intrude."

"It's not a big deal. They're happy you're keeping me occupied."

When they entered the townhouse, she found Nora in the kitchen.

"Hey."

"Hi. How was your date?"

"It was good." Andrew answered, turning the corner into the kitchen. Nora blinked twice and he grinned. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Have you looked in a mirror recently?"

Charlie chuckled as she gathered a towel of ice and walked back to Andrew.

"Don't worry. Only one is from Miles." he said, pointing to a bruise near his eye.

"Oh really?" Nora set her hands on her hips and glowered at the doorway. The couple turned to find the older man standing behind him.

"It was training." he shrugged, sliding between them to sit at the table.

"Felt more like a warning." Andrew muttered.

"Don't know what you're talking about. Not my fault you didn't duck."

"We'll be in my room." Charlie took his hand and proceeded down the hallway, turning bright red as she heard her uncle yell,

"Make sure you keep the door open and all body parts remain above the blanket."

"Oh God."

"It's okay. Not as bad as Jackson. He almost castrated me when he found me in Cara's room."

"You and Cara dated?"

"No. That's what makes it worse. We were studying. It was the second scariest moment of my life."

"Did Miles really hit you?"

"It was more of a jab, but yeah." they sat down on her bed and she pressed the ice onto his cheek. "He's probably practicing for if they have a girl."

"I'll worry for her if she is."

"He's... he's a good guy." Andrew said quietly. "I would never have guessed. I, I blamed him for what happened."

"Was he there?"

"No but still, y'know, Miles Matheson. First time I saw him, I wanted to punch his lights out. But when Dad didn't hold a grudge, I figured I couldn't either. I'm glad I got to know him though."

"He's really a teddy bear. I can and have seen the vicious side of him but he's really not that way at all. It doesn't excuse everything he's done or ordered and trust me, I have enough to be angry at him for, but he's also done a lot of good for me and for everyone else."

Neither were aware that their voices traveled down the hallway and Nora smirked at Miles.

"I think your reputation is kind of going down the tubes."

"Yeah, tell me about it."


	22. Chapter 22

"Sebastian."

He sighed irritably at the feminine voice, rolled his eyes underneath the lids, and adjusted his position in the armchair.

"Julia." he opened his eyes to stare out the window, refusing to look at her. "What can I do for you?"

"It's time for dinner." she said quietly. Bass snickered lightly, thinking of how motherly she sounded at the moment.

"I'll pass but thank you."

"You know, it would do you some good to be respectful. This is my house after all."

"I believe I was polite and your house?" now he twisted his neck around to look at the blonde. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Your days of power are long over Sebastian. It's time you realized that. You are a guest here-nothing more."

"Julia, don't forget I spared your son's life when he deserved execution." his cold gaze met her own and she smirked, eyes narrowing back at him.

"You're hardly in the position to be making threats."

"Neither are you."

"That's what you think. I'll have someone bring your food up." she turned and left the room. Bass was surprised he didn't hear the lock click as well.

"Bitch." he muttered venomously, standing to move towards the window. He limped ungracefully to the wall and stared down at the stables, looking for any sign of Jeremy. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to put up with essentially being a captive in his own home.

* * *

Miles was going on four hours without sleep since they had gone to bed. He stared at the clock on the wall, barely able to read the time but knew it was close to three, possibly even four, and tried to shift around in the bed. It was near impossible since Nora was pressed against his side as close as she could get and had an arm and leg thrown over him. Every time he moved even an inch, she clung tighter to him. He was convinced that she was awake and thought inflicting bodily restraint would get him to sleep.

He sighed deeply, turned his head, and buried his face in her hair. _One, two, three_... he tried counting again but trailed off as his thoughts turned once more to Bass and the impending fight. His stomach churned uncomfortably at the images that formed. His hand tightened protectively on Nora's hip, causing her to stir next to him. Her hand slipped from his arm to his chest, rubbing lightly through the material of his t-shirt.

"You okay?" her voice was muffled against his shoulder. When he gave no response, not even a nod or a shrug, she lifted her head tiredly to look at him, and found him wide-eyed and alert. "You need to sleep."

"Doesn't seem possible tonight."

"Are you going to do this until this ends?"

"I hope not." he pushed her aside gently and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of their bed. She propped herself up on her elbow and rubbed her free hand over her face. "Go back to sleep. I'm just going to get something to drink."

"There's some tea in the cabinet. Calm your nerves."

"Mhmm." the tone in his voice clearly said, '_yeah, tea, sure.' _

She was no idiot and gave a slight, sad smile as she laid back down and added, "Just don't drink yourself into a drunken stupor, okay?"

He nodded silently in response and made his way out of their room to the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway when he found Charlie sitting at the table, a glass and her journal in front of her. She lifted her head slightly at the sound of his footsteps but looked back down at the book. They had done this so many times now that there was no point in asking why they were awake at four in the morning. Her free hand reached for the glass and she took a long sip as he moved wordlessly to the cabinet. He pulled out the bottle of scotch and sat across from her.

"What time did Andrew leave?"

Charlie's face flushed and she muttered something he couldn't hear. Miles stared across at her, then glanced at the doorway.

"Is he still here?"

"He fell asleep. I didn't want to wake him up. He was exhausted."

"Okay." he poured out a glass and took a sip. "Don't be stupid."

"What?"

"I don't want to have this conversation but that's all I'll say on it. You're an adult, you can do whatever floats your boat, just don't be stupid."

"We... he, Miles, I-"

"Again, I _don't _want to have this conversation." another sip and they averted each others' eyes. "So why are you out here, awake, instead of snuggling with your boy toy?"

She smacked the journal onto the table lightly, exasperation tugging at the corner of her eyes.

"It's not like that."

"I bet. What's going on?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm asking the questions though."

"Just the usual. What about you? You usually don't suffer from insomnia."

"It's not insomnia. Just... have a lot on my mind right now. A little bit of this and it will all be okay." he smirked over the edge of the glass and drained it. She stared back, then lowered her head, and began writing once more.

"Are they really going to attack? I mean, do you trust Mia enough to tell the truth?"

"Not at all but I do think something is going to happen. Even if they don't, it's better to be prepared than caught off guard and if nothing happens, at least we're ready for when it does. Eventually, it will happen. Just of a matter of when."

Charlie nodded faintly, pressed her lips together tightly as she rapped the pencil against the table. Miles watched her intently as he poured another drink, then pushed the bottle away from him. As much as he would have liked to, he knew getting drunk was not going to solve anything.

"Do we stand a chance?"

"Charlie, I don't know what we're facing. I'm waiting for the scouts to come back first before I start placing bets." he set the glass onto the table and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He saw the dread and anxiety in her eyes and leaned forward slightly. "But, know that I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Don't say that."

"Why?"

"Because you can't guarantee that."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't. And... and... and I don't-" she cut herself off, rubbing her hands over her arms and sighed.

"What?"

"You can't be everywhere at once. I don't want you making a statement like that, then feeling torn if it happens that you need to choose between me and Nora."

The statement caught Miles off guard and leaned back, sitting straight up in the chair.

"It's happened before, it's going to happen again. You need to be prepared to pick her. I don't... I don't want you saving me." Charlie muttered. "I'm not that important."

"Yes you are."

"Not as important as she is, as the baby is. Miles, I'm not trying to be some petulant child throwing a temper tantrum. I'm stating the truth and it's something that I accept. It's something that I accepted a long time ago and I'm fine with that. I'd be angry if you felt otherwise."

"So I'm just supposed to sit back and watch you suffer."

"If it came between us, then yes. I'm _asking _you to. If it's just me in danger, then by all means come for me," she said the last part with a grin but he didn't smile back. "You can't save everyone."

She closed the journal and stood up, put her cup in the sink. When he didn't say anything, she turned to face him, and said, "I'm just saying, when the time comes, I don't want you having any regrets or second guessing yourself."


	23. Chapter 23

"Captain Collins sent over the final list of recruits."

Miles glanced up from the pile of reports on his desk and found Dianna standing in front of him, a stack of papers in one hand and a tall mug in the other.

"Thanks. Is that for me?"

"Yes." she handed over the mug and he took a long sip, then grimaced. She snickered quietly as she dropped the papers on the edge of his desk.

"What the hell is this?"

"Tea."

"What happened to the coffee?"

"One, we're running low, and two, Nora said you need to de-stress."

"Nora needs to butt out."

Dianna bit back a smirk and remained silent. Miles looked up and sighed deeply.

"She's standing outside isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"Figures. Is Jackson back yet?"

"No sign of him so far." she slipped away, leaving the door open slightly behind her, and Nora entered. She shut the door behind her and Miles heard the sound of the lock clicking into place. He raised an eyebrow, leaned back in his chair, and watched as she approached him.

"I got you lunch." she swung a bag from her fingers but tossed it onto the couch, which was on the complete opposite of the room. "Drink the tea."

"It tastes like dirt. Are you trying to poison me?"

"And what would I gain from that?"

"Peace and quiet?"

She smiled lightly as she came around the side of the desk and pushed at the arm of his chair. He nudged it backwards with a push of his foot. She stepped between his legs, braced a hand on each of his shoulders. His other eyebrow shot up but his surprise didn't stop him from slipping his hands up her sides. She leaned in towards him and brushed her lips slowly over his.

"Who would I get to do this with?" she mumbled, trailing kisses over his jaw.

"Is that all you keep me around for? Sex?"

"And then some. But yeah, especially right now. I was just sitting over in my office, all alone, and I was thinking about you, then I started thinking about us, and I couldn't remember the last time we had sex. So I figured, no time like the present."

He moved them then, depositing her on the top of his desk, and stood, leaning over her.

"Here? In the former US Capitol building?"

"I'm sure its previous inhabitants have done far worse than we are going to. Besides, everyone's on lunch and I told Dianna to go away for at least an hour. And," she broke off with a throaty groan as his hands slipped under her shirt and she pressed closer to him, "and it's not like we haven't done it in your office before. Plus it is an excellent way to relax."

She gave him a wicked grin before stealing another kiss. He became slightly distracted at the mention of Philadelphia and the republic but knew she was talking about them and nothing else and brushed it aside. He dropped his head to her shoulder, planting light kisses everywhere and anywhere. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the list Dianna had left and he froze, mouth pressed against her collarbone.

"Mm, you're not supposed to stop. Kind of defeats the purpose."

He pulled away from her and grabbed the list, scanning it once more. She watched him, saw the frown deepen, and her shoulders slumped. His eyes hit the bottom and he blinked several times, then dropped the paper. She twisted slightly and saw in familiar handwriting- _Charlotte Matheson. _She looked up at him, waiting for him to say something.

"I need to talk to her. Will you wait here?"

"Sure. I might eat your lunch."

"Knock your socks off." he quickly left the room and headed for the grounds where the third and final day of recruitment was happening. He had been in charge completely on the first, had let the captains take over yesterday but still supervised, and today he had planned on letting them take the reins completely. He approached James's group and observed their motions, eyes narrowing at his niece, then turned to the captain.

"It's looking good. Numbers are up too."

"Yeah, I got the list. Mind if I take one of them?"

"Your daughter? Saw the last name."

"Niece."

"Feel free."

Miles caught Charlie's eye, beckoned her over with a crook of his index finger. She broke away from her group and followed him down the sidewalk to a relatively empty area of the Mall.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I signed up."

"Yeah, I can see that. Why?"

"I want to help."

"There are other ways to help than joining the war effort."

"I understand that but this is what I decided."

"That's great but unfortunately, I'm not letting you."

"What do you mean, you're not letting me? I'm an adult. I don't need your permission."

"True but I don't think it's a good idea."

"You were the one telling me to get out more."

"I meant get some friends not jump head first into a battle! You're not ready for something like this."

"I appreciate that but again, it's my decision."

"Okay, it might be _your_ decision to join but it's _my _decision as your commanding officer to pull you if I don't think you're fit to fight."

"I'm fine."

"Charlie, three months ago, you weren't talking. Nightmares, constantly. You weren't sleeping. You don't sleep now and you want to go off to fight when you're not prepared or ready? I won't let it. And you know, you don't sound like this is really what you want so why don't you tell me what this is all really about?"

"I told you. I want to help."

"You are not helping. If anything, you're going to make things worse. You're a risk to yourself and to others around you. You don't know what it is like to be out in a war zone."

She started to open her mouth but he pointed a finger at her, shutting her up immediately.

"No, I know what you're going to say. It is different, a hundred percent different than you, me, and Nora fighting alongside each other. You've got, I don't know, thirty, forty other people out there. You need to back each other up. What happens when you screw up and people get hurt or killed, huh? Are you ready to have that on your conscience, on top of everything else going on in your head?" he knew his tone was borderline snappish and he could tell she was getting upset.

"You don't get it." her voice was low, her teeth gritted together, as she tried to keep calm but angry tears spilled over anyway. "I am so tired of having to depend on you, on Nora. I'm tired of being helpless. I need to do this. For me and for Danny and my parents. I need to finish this."

"Going out there isn't going to bring them back or fix things. It might feel like it does for a while but eventually, you're going to be back here, wondering what you could have done differently. This is not the magical answer to your problems. I know it's hard. Trust me, I've been there. I get it. I know right now, you've had a good couple days, you've been with Andrew, you feel like things are looking up and you think you can handle things, and I'm glad, honestly. But the fact remains it's been three months since you started getting back to normal. It hasn't even been a year since this all happened. You're still healing. Hell, you didn't even sleep two nights ago. Now you're making rash decisions to lunge into battle. You're going to get yourself killed and I'm not going to stand by and let that happen."

"Miles!" his name was a shout accompanied by galloping and he turned to see one of Jackson's men riding towards him. Charlie turned away, wiping her face on her sleeve, and walked a few feet away.

"Did you find him?"

"Jackson sent me ahead to tell you. They're about a half hour out."

He felt relief swarm over him and he nodded.

"Thanks Harris." he turned back around as the man rode off. He watched his niece for a moment, then walked to where she was leaning on a tree. "I am looking out for you. I know you don't want to hear it and you don't need to hear it because you are an adult but I do know what's best in this scenario. You being out there fighting is not right. You scare the shit out of me Charlie and I can't be worrying about you while I'm supposed to be leading whole armies or whatever the hell they expect me to do. I have to get in there. Do me a favor and go home. I'm taking your name out and I'm telling Collins to turn you away if you try coming back, which I know you're brazen enough to do."

She didn't say anything and kept her back to him. He squeezed her shoulder gently and added, "I know you said not to look out for you but fat chance if that actually happens. We'll talk about this later."


	24. Chapter 24

Sorry for the delay. Busy with school and battling writer's block :)

* * *

Miles barely looked up when the door opened and Hamilton was forcibly led into the room. It was their version of an interrogation room, he supposed, though it was nothing like the Republic's. He had adamantly refused the dank room that could've been a broom closet at some point. He wouldn't stoop to that level again. Instead it was another office that contained a plain desk and two folding chairs. Sunlight filtered in through the window and a watercolor painting hung crooked on the beige wall. Hardly the image of intimidating.

He leaned against the wall next to the window and kept his face neutral while Hamilton was hustled into the metal chair. A dark bruise had formed over his left eye and a smear of dried blood trailed under his nose. His clothes were torn and dirtied, as though he had been rolling in mud on the way back into the city. Clearly he had put up a fight in getting captured. He smirked at Miles, baring bloodied, cracked teeth and a split lip.

"I was wondering where you were. Should have known you'd rear that ugly head of yours at some point." he leaned back into the chair smugly, arms crossed over his chest, and flicked an eyebrow upwards, waiting for the former general to make his move. Jackson glared at the back of his head as he shut the door. He moved towards Miles and held out his hand in an offering. Miles glanced at it, saw it was a pendant and accepted it, observing the sleek metal.

"Found him about an hour outside of Charleston... heading north. I'm assuming that he was going back to the militia base but he won't confirm or deny that."

The smirk was beginning to aggravate Miles, who handed the pendant back to Jackson, and then took three steps forward. He stopped at the desk, keeping it as a barrier between himself and Hamilton for a moment. Then, slowly, he moved around to the front and stared down at his old soldier. He waited only a second or so before hauling off and landing a punch on the right side of his jaw. Hamilton's head whipped to the side and he stayed still, then spat out a mouthful of blood and chuckled quietly.

"That's it?" he lifted his chin slightly to meet Miles's eye, a defiant glare in his own.

"Don't worry. I'm just getting started."

"Fantastic."

"So, how long have you been working for Jeremy? And don't bother denying it. That'll just piss me off even more."

"I don't work for Jeremy."

There was an audible crack as Miles made contact with Hamilton's nose.

"I gotta say, you are slacking. The stories I heard about going through interrogations with you, well hell, most prisoners would rather have gotten executed straight away." he snorted blood back into his nostril and wiped his nose along the back of his hand. "Let's be honest anyway. This isn't about me being a spy or stealing pendants. This is about Nora."

"Don't."

"I don't know why you get so angry, as though you have some right to feel defensive. _You _left _her_. Remember? I technically did nothing. You were the one who turned your back."

"How long have you been working for Jeremy?"

"You didn't care then. You don't care now. What happened anyway? You dragged her in, thinking she could help, and being Nora and so starry eyed and in love with you, she blindly agreed? But I bet it was strictly business on your end. You always liked using people for your own gains. The way I see it, it was probably a cold, drunken night like usual, and she was an easy lay and now she's trapped you again. Can't leave this time because we have sweet little Charlie thinking Uncle Miles is absolutely, 100% perfect and everyone has apparently forgotten you were a war-mongering tyrant and thinks you're the savior. Wouldn't want to tarnish that shiny armor of yours."

"I won't ask again."

"What are you going to do? Kill me?"

"Eventually, yeah. Or I can hand you over to Gallagher and the rest of the Federation. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to know they've had a traitor amongst them for seven years."

"I see it didn't take long for you to slip back into your "General" mode. Way to push progress and reform. When will the firing squads start up again? Or will it be public hangings? I know you liked to hop around between your options."

"Where's the Militia hideout? I'm sure you've reported there."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"It's like you have a death wish."

"Not really. It's just fun getting you riled up. You take life so seriously. But now you're boring me. All these weeks I've restrained myself but enough is enough. I'll tell you what you want because it doesn't matter. They're going to come and cut you up anyway. I work for General Monroe."

"And who do you work for now that he's dead?" Jackson asked. Hamilton sat up straight and looked at the older man. Then he looked at Miles, who had a good poker face going for him, and then back at Jackson. He promptly began to laugh.

"This does not bode well for you Miles. Looks like you were hiding information. General Monroe isn't dead Roman. He was severely injured but never dead. I do report to Colonel Baker but I take my orders from the general. I don't know where they're located because I've been living in Atlanta as Miles said for seven years. I think though we should wonder why Miles failed to add in this important tidbit of information. I know he knows because Baker told me so."

"Who sent you for the pendant?"

"Baker. He doesn't want Neville getting his hands on it. See, when the time is right, Baker and General Monroe will be meeting with troops of their own. He'll retake the Republic and then continue on to take the rest of the country."

"I doubt that."

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

It was a while later when Jackson finally confronted Miles. Hamilton was still sitting in the office, two guards posted outside. Miles stood across the hall, staring at the closed door, wondering what to do next.

"So," Jackson stood next to him, eyes facing forward.

"So what?"

"Is what he said true?"

Miles didn't answer at first. He crossed his arms over his chest and started to pace around. Finally, he nodded.

"Yeah."

"And you knew this."

"I found out a few days ago."

Jackson let out a long, somewhat agitated sigh, and leaned against the wall.

"You know this doesn't look good right."

"Yeah."

"You withheld information about a very large threat."

"I was going to share with the rest of the class."

"When?"

"Once I had understood it myself." there must have been something in his expression because Jackson's demeanor softened somewhat. He observed Miles for a long moment, then said slowly,

"I need to be sure this isn't some trick. I need to know that if he comes here, you're not going to help him."

"He had almost my entire family killed, shot my niece, and practically tortured Nora. You don't have to worry about me helping him."

* * *

Yet, as he made his way home for the night, Miles wasn't entirely convinced with himself or his answer. He knew, logically, he would do whatever he could to make sure Nora and Charlie were out of harms way. But it was _Bass_. He had fought this internal battle for years now. The problem was he didn't see Bass as the maniacal murderer he had molded him into, or the man who had deliberately and systematically broken down Nora's life. Instead he saw the dorky, chubby kid he had grown up with, who had become his brother, and then, after shedding the baby fat and believing himself to be a stud, the cocky son of a bitch he had joined the Marines with, who had lost his entire family, who had walked to Chicago with him. There was _Bass _and then there was Monroe and Miles was terrified if it was Bass who came to him, he might just comply.

_No, _his subconscious yelled angrily at him, _he isn't there anymore. That isn't him. You have a _family_, you bastard. _Another part of him muttered weakly, _he is your family_.

* * *

"I want you to talk to Miles for me."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because he's not going to listen. He's trying to stop me from training."

Nora nodded absently as straightened the blanket on her bed. She sat on the edge and looked up at Charlie, who chewed nervously on her lip.

"So why do you want me to say something?"

"He'll listen to you."

"Why do you want to join anyway?"

"I want to stop the Militia. I need..."

"...revenge?"

"I'm thinking of it as a way to honor them."

"I never met your dad but from what I heard, he didn't seem to appreciate violence too much."

"He helped turned the power off and caused the resulting deaths of possibly millions."

"Fighting isn't the way to get solace."

"Miles said the same thing."

"Great minds, I guess. I would think since we both said the same thing, that it is probably the right idea."

"Wouldn't you want me out of your hair?"

"I'd like an extra set of hands more. Do you really think running off to war is going to appease your uncle and me?"

"You wouldn't want privacy?"

"I barely notice you're here now."

"So what difference is it going to make?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean, you're a good housemate and you're not even a housemate. You're _family_. Families live together peacefully somehow and everyone gets what they want. So tossing aside these crappy reasons for signing up, what's the real one?" Nora's eyes softened in a comforting, motherly way and Charlie figured it was her maternal instincts beginning to kick in. When she didn't respond, her aunt added, "Remember I told you what I did after my family got killed. It didn't solve any of my problems. It only made it worse. You don't have to run. You have us, Andrew, your friends, Megan. We're all here."

"But for how long? Miles is leaving soon, so is Andrew."

"Is that what this is about? You think joining will keep you closer to them?" she waited for a response. Charlie did not give one but lowered her eyes to the floor. "Or do you think you'll be able to stop something from happening to them?"

A slight shrug was the answer she received.

"Charlie, the way they would separate the troops, you would most likely not see either of them. You'd be a distraction. Miles would let it hinder his leading and it's only been a short time but I'm sure Andrew would let you take priority over the others. You would compromise missions."

"At least I would know what was going on."

"Not really. It would be the same thing as sitting here waiting for news." she hesitated, then asked, "How do you think I feel?"

The blonde gave her a questioning glance and she continued, "You're right. Miles is leaving soon. I don't know how long this is going to go on. I don't know what's going to happen to him. The baby will be here in a few months. He might not be here. I could be raising the baby by myself. Am I terrified? Yes. But, I'm also not running off and joining the war. It's going to be difficult, I know. I've been there. When we were together while he was general, I hated when he would leave. It's the same scenario now. Unfortunately, we need to accept that this is Miles. Being a soldier is who he is. It's what he's always done."


	25. Chapter 25

"Am I interrupting?"

Bass's eyes flew open at the sound of Jeremy's voice and found his friend smirking in the doorway of his bedroom.

"Thank God. Close the damn door."

"I didn't know you were in to yoga."

"Dr. Peters seems to think this will help in some way. And it's not yoga. I'm stretching."

Jeremy waited a moment for Bass to get off the floor but he continued to sit there with his legs stretched out in front of him.

"Do you need-"

"No." he cut him off with a sharp glare and slowly forced himself to his feet, gritting his teeth at the tug in his thigh. _Fuck Miles_, he thought bitterly. He inhaled a deep breath before meeting Jeremy's eye. The colonel had enough sense to remain straight-faced and not show his amusement or worry. "We're leaving. Tonight."

"What?"

"I told you this. I'm not sitting around here, waiting for Julia to come stab me in the middle of the night. I'm done watching Tom drive my republic into the ground."

"I, well, do _you _think that's a good idea?"

"I think it's a grand idea."

"I just got back."

"Then your horse should be ready."

"You're going to ride?" Jeremy cast a surreptitious glance at Bass's leg. "And are they going to just let you walk out of here?"

"I'm not a prisoner here. I can come and go as I please."

"Tell that to Julia."

"Fine. If anyone stands in our way, then we get rid of them." there was a glint in his eye that Jeremy hadn't seen in some time so all he could do was nod and say, "Yes, sir."

* * *

"Whoa!"

Miles quickly threw out a hand, grabbing Megan to steady her. They had collided on the sidewalk outside of the Capitol because of his carelessness. He had been lost in thought and not watching where he was going.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." she smiled brightly at him. "How about you?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Are you sure?" and suddenly it was not about them nearly knocking their heads together. She swept her eyes over him, noted the shadows under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders, and he had seen this and refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Positive."

"How's Charlie? I haven't seen her in a while. She seemed okay a few weeks ago. I thought I'd give her some space."

"She's doing better." _Now that she let go of these delusions of running off and joining the army. _

"That's good. I'll drop in one of these days just to check in." she glanced over him again and he ignored it, staring over her shoulder to the group of teens sitting on the steps of the building. "Are you on your way home? I'm heading in that direction. Mind if I walk with you?"

"You're not shy in the least, huh?"

"I wouldn't be good at my job if I was." she flashed a smile as they fell into step with one another. "You look like hell Miles."

"This is different than your usual bedside manner."

"I'm not that kind of doctor."

"Nuances."

"You're not much of a talker."

"Not much to talk about."

"You're a lot like Charlie. Do you think it will make you weak to admit what's bothering you? It's obvious something is. You wouldn't be this way if it wasn't."

"I'm trying to throw an army together. It's long hours, stressful, and a pain in the ass. I appreciate the concern though."

"No you don't. How long has this been going on?"

How long? He tried to think. It was June 8, so, almost two, three weeks now. Ever since Jeremy decided to lurk around town and Mia showed up on their doorstep.

She continued to pester him all the way to the townhouse but he didn't budge. There was no way he was going to admit the thoughts that had been running through his head.

"Well, then I will tell you what I tell Charlie. My door is always open." she stood at the bottom of the porch and looked up at him. "It's none of my business. I was trying to help. But, some advice? Eventually, it's all going to come spewing out. You might as well take control of it and be able to have your own way."

"Thanks."

"You know," she turned back and he hesitated, hand on the door, "I think you need to give Nora a little more credit than you have been. I told her the same thing about you. I'm sure you have a great relationship but, it doesn't hurt to try a little harder."

He stood still, watching as she disappeared down the sidewalk. Finally, he entered his home and made his way into the bedroom, looking for a few hours to sleep before heading back to training.

Nora looked up as she heard his footsteps and smiled sweetly at him.

"I wasn't expecting you." she was sitting up, back against the headboard. A piece of paper was in her lap, along with a tattered book that was missing its cover, and a pencil was in her hand. "I thought you had training today."

"Figured I could use a break. The others have it under control. Where's Charlie?"

"She said she was going out. I saw one of the girls waiting outside."

He nodded, pausing at the foot of the bed to nudge his boots off, then climbed onto the mattress and stretched out next to her. He didn't quite make it to his pillow, letting his head hit the blanket with a low groan instead.

"You sure you're up for this? I mean, you can barely make it through a typical day." there was a teasing tone in her voice. He wondered what the 'this' was. The baby, the war, both? Frankly, he was beginning to wonder himself.

"Just need a couple hours of sleep." he muttered instead, lifting his head to look at what she was working on. He caught a glimpse of her face instead and frowned at the worry he saw. He decided to ignore it. He can't talk about it, not yet, if ever. He focused on the paper in her lap and saw a fairly large list of names. "What are you doing?"

He shouldered his way closer to her, leaning over her lap to read.

"We can't keep calling the baby 'the baby'."

"Why not?"

She whacked him on the head lightly in response.

"Where did you come up with these?" he started to point at some, "No, no, _definitely _no."

She scratched out the ones he vetoed, not bothering to ask why. Knowing her luck, it was an ex-girlfriend, the bully on the playground, a teacher who pissed him off, or any other asinine reason. She felt him tense slightly and shook his head.

"No." he tapped his brother's name and she hesitated, then crossed it off.

"It was a suggestion."

"I wouldn't name my kid after him if he was alive. No point in pretending I would because he's dead. Besides, if," he shuddered at the thought, "if Charlie ever... y'know, let her use it."

After all, she was more worthy of honoring Ben. The good daughter who was definitely a pain in the ass at times but always tried her best to truly do what her father wanted. He was simply the brother who abandoned him, held his wife prisoner, let his son die. Too many failures on his part. Naming his potential nephew after him wouldn't erase any of that.

"So do _you _have any suggestions?" Nora brought him out of his thoughts and he shook his head. "Well, we need to come up with something. We actually need to come up with a lot of things. We're slacking in the baby department."

"Yeah, well, there's a fucking war going on." his tone was more snappish than he had planned and he felt her tense under his shoulder momentarily. But just as quickly as she had, her muscles relaxed and her hand was on his head.

"Go to sleep babe." she pushed him down gently and his head fell against her thigh. His eyes shut as her fingers weaved into his hair and rubbed lightly at his scalp.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You need more than two hours of sleep or you're non-functioning and moody."

He still felt guilty though and after a few minutes of silence, punctuated only by the sound of the pages turning, he mumbled something into the soft fabric of her sundress.

"What?"

"I said Lucy."

She frowned slightly, confused, then realized he was offering up his suggestion for a name.

"Lucy." she repeated it slowly, then again. "Lucy Matheson. It's cute. First love?"

She couldn't help but tease but sobered immediately when he responded, "My mom."

"That's sweet."

He scoffed slightly at her compliment but said nothing else. She tilted her head up at the ceiling and tried to imagine Miles as a little boy, trailing adoringly after his mother. Then giggled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just... never imagined you as a mommy's boy."

"I think it was inevitable. I was the baby."

He wasn't surprised at the ache he felt at the thought of his mother. There had been so many points of weakness throughout the years where he wanted her, wanted her opinion, but pushed those urges aside. He needed to be tough and clinging to his mother would get him nowhere. He had been angry at her premature death, only a few short years before the blackout, but now, reflecting on all that had happened, was almost glad she didn't have to suffer with the rest of them; glad she didn't have to see what he had done.

"Was she close to Ben?"

"He was closer to my dad. Why?"

"Just wondering where Charlie got her name."

"I think Rachel's grandmother or something like that. My mom and Rachel never got along. She tolerated her for the sake of Ben." he paused, fingers trailing over her leg gently. "She would have liked you."

"Yeah? Or are you just saying that?"

"No, she would have. You remind me of her sometimes."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're supposed to."

"You've never talked about your family." she said quietly. "How come? Why start now?"

"I don't know. It just happened."

"Well, I like it. I like getting that inner look at you. I'm a good listener, you know. I know you're not the openly emotional type so I deal with it but it'd be nice if you confided in me more often."

Megan's words filtered through his mind, to give Nora more credit than he had been.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to hold back." she added.

"You'd hate me if I told you some things."

"No I wouldn't."

"Even, even if I said there were times I think about throwing in the towel and crawling back to Bass?"

"Even then."

"It doesn't scare you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I know you wouldn't."

"You shouldn't trust me so much."

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am."

"Because you won't accept it. You're scared of it. Because you tried once and it didn't work out. I told you before, he's not Bass anymore."

_And what if he is? _


	26. Chapter 26

The bell above the door to the bakery tinkled as Nora stepped inside. A young woman behind the counter smiled cheerfully at her as she measured out a string of ribbon and snipped the end with a scissor.

"You're just in time. I was getting ready to wrap it for you. Here, take a look." she lifted the box top up as Nora came to a stop in front of the counter. Inside was a cake decorated in white icing and written in flowing, blue icing was _Happy Birthday Charlie. _All around the sides and the top were swirls of a variety of colors.

"It looks amazing. Thank you so much Erin."

"I aim to please." her eyes sparkled as she shut the box and tied the ribbon neatly around it. She formed a large bow on top and slid it over to Nora. "Enjoy. I hope she likes it."

"I'm sure she'll love it. If she doesn't, then I'll eat it all myself." she chuckled. "It definitely won't go to waste."

They spoke for a few more minutes, talking about everything from Miles to the declaration signing. At some point the door opened again and the tinkling bell caught both their attention.

"Hi. I'll be right with you." Erin smiled politely at the new customer.

"Take your time. I'll just look around for a while."

"Sure no problem. Oh, Nora, Tanya just finished making a batch of snicker doodles. Let me grab some for you."

"That's okay Erin. I really need to get going."

"They're right in the back. I'll be two seconds I promise. They're on me. I know how much you love them." the blonde was already disappearing into the kitchen, seemingly unaware of the sudden anxiousness that had overcome Nora.

"It's a nice day out." the person commented from behind her. She refused to turn, to even acknowledge him. Still, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Bass leaning towards a display case, eying a tray of brownies. He straightened up and turned to face her. He walked slowly towards her, trying to hide his limp, and leaned a hip on the counter with a cold smile. Nora only stared at him, unable to find the sense to run or scream or hit him.

He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. He had a tattered baseball cap pulled down over his curls and he looked as though he hadn't shaved in about four days. No one would have recognized him. If she hadn't heard him speak in that low, calm tone, she would have walked right past him and never known the difference.

"Here you go," Erin reappeared as she twisted a tie around the top of a bag, "enjoy them. Are you going to the movie tonight?"

"M-Maybe. Probably not, though." Nora flashed a weak smile as she gathered up the box and the bag.

"A movie?" Bass quirked an eyebrow up. "I haven't seen a movie in, well, forever."

"Well, then you should come by." Erin smiled. "Everyone comes out. There's food and music too."

"Maybe I should have come to the city sooner. What's the secret to its success?"

"They got the power going somehow. You're new to town?"

"Just got here this morning. I came here right away. I could smell those snicker doodles a block away." a charming grin formed on his face and Erin blushed. "You must be very talented. Judging by what you have on display, I would say so."

"Oh, well, thank you, Mr. uh,"

"Will. Call me Will."

"Will. I'm Erin."

"Pleasure to meet you." he regarded Nora, who was edging her way towards the door. "_Both _of you."

"Nora, are you okay?" Erin looked in her direction with a worried expression.

"I... I'm fine. I just need to go." she turned quickly and fled from the bakery. She started up the street towards the Capitol, moving as quickly as she could and not paying close attention to her surroundings.

"Nora!" Miles's voice caught her attention and she yelled in surprise when he grabbed her arm gently from behind. She turned to face him, heart pounding ferociously. "What the hell? I called you three times."

"What?"

"I was standing outside Mo's waiting for you. I saw you walk by and you completely ignored me."

"What?"

"Mo's. Restaurant? We were getting lunch? You purposely made Dianna clear an hour for me?"

"You need to come with me." she balanced the cake box in one hand and grabbed for him with the other, then practically dragged him towards the bakery. "I didn't know what to do. I completely froze."

"What? What happened?"

"I was getting Charlie's cake and... and... and he just walked in. He was following me. He had to be."

"Nora, slow down."

"We can't." she tugged on his hand harder and stopped outside the bakery. Through the windows, she could see the shop was empty. "No, he was there. He was _just _there. He was talking to Erin. He talked to me."

"Who?"

"Bass." she turned to face the street, looking all which ways. He couldn't have just vanished. "It was like... it was like he was letting me know he was here, like a warning."

"Nora, did he, hey, look at me." Miles slipped his hands under her chin, turning her head up so their eyes met. Her eyes were wide and he could feel her shaking underneath him. "Did he hurt you?"

"No. No, he didn't even-he didn't do anything. He let me leave. It was... weird. It was really weird. He was flirting with Erin." she frowned slightly. "I wouldn't have known it was him. He's all grungy and casual looking."

Her eyes flicked over his shoulder, still trying to find their former friend.

"It was only two minutes ago. He couldn't have gone far."

"Nora."

She wasn't paying attention to him. A frown formed on her face, then something that resembled disgust.

"I just stood there." she finally looked at him as she realized what she had just said. "I _stood _there and-"

"I'm glad you just stood there."

"I-"

"What were you going to do? You can't get into contact with anyone without leaving him. Were you going to fight him?"

Her eyes flashed dangerously for a moment, as though she considered it, but then she relaxed when she felt the baby move, as if to say, _hey don't forget about me,_ and shook her head.

"No." her voice was soft.

"No." he echoed. "So, what other options were there but to leave if he didn't have a knife to your throat?"

"I was coming to find you."

"Good choice. I'm taking you to the Capitol. I'll get Charlie. You two stay there until I come for you. Then, I'll grab a few of the guys and go hunting."

They began to walk towards the Capitol, though they were both looking over their shoulder at any chance. He took the box from her and pulled her against him with his free hand. She slipped her arm around his waist, leaned into him, and sighed.

"Are you okay?" he tilted his head down, mouth pressed against her hair. She hesitated, then gave a nod. In reality, she was shaken up by the incident and angry that she allowed herself to get so close to Bass, even if it wasn't her fault.

* * *

"Why would we get involved? Let them kill each other then we won't have to worry about either of them."

"Someone needs to do something."

"We are not ready for a fight. To send troops up there and fight something that has nothing to do with us would be suicide. And who would we be fighting? Are we going to take a side? Both of them need to be taken down."

They walked in on an argument. Several of the captains, Nicholas, and Jackson were surrounding a map spread out on one of the desks.

"What's going on?" Miles stepped up behind Jackson, who turned and made room for him to join the circle.

"Preston came back from his surveying up north. Him and his men found the house you told us about. It was empty. There were signs of a struggle but nothing serious. He said on the way back, there were skirmishes breaking out. One of the soldiers they captured said General Neville gave the order to kill any insurgents they came across. Another claimed they were still loyal to General Monroe and they were going to fight for the Republic." he explained. As he spoke, he pointed out to several areas on the map ranging from Virginia to New Jersey.

"It's not our problem."

"They're threatening civilians." Preston argued.

"For all we know, this could be a trick." Collins commented. "We'll send our troops up there, leaving the city near defenseless, and then they'll attack here. It's what they want so they can take over here."

"These attacks are going to get closer to the city."

"They already plan on attacking us on the twentieth. That's next week. We need to set up defenses here and not worry about them. When we have enough resources, maybe."

"Collins is right." Miles commented. He turned away from the table and tapped Jackson on the arm. "Come with me."

"Excuse us." Jackson stepped away and followed across the room to Miles's office behind Nora. "I'm assuming this is a private conversation."

"Yeah, close the door."

It latched with a soft click and there was a moment of silence before Miles launched into what had happened.

"Are you okay?" Jackson turned his head towards Nora once Miles finished speaking. She smiled slightly, thankful for his concern, and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'll go get a group together. I have a few people in mind." Jackson turned swiftly and left the office, shutting the door again. Miles slumped against the edge of the desk and exhaled a deep breath. Nora watched him for a moment. She pushed herself off the couch and stood in front of him.

"Promise me you'll be careful." she said quietly. He nodded silently as he pulled her in close to him. "So, I guess this is it."

"Yeah, guess so."

They gazed at each other for a few seconds, then slowly, she leaned in towards him. It was a quick kiss at first but as they started to separate, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her back. They held onto each other, neither willing to be the first to pull away, and then a loud knock came on the door.

"Why don't you just stay here and let someone else do it?" she mumbled, pressing her forehead against his.

"You know I can't." he kissed her one more time then gently pushed her aside. "Yeah?"

The door opened to reveal Charlie and Andrew.

"I found her like you asked."

"Good." he stared at the younger man, trying to make a decision. "Meet me outside. I'm going to need you for something."

Andrew nodded silently and walked away. Charlie looked confused as Miles motioned her into the office.

"What's going on?" her eyes widened in alarm as she saw him pull a sword out for a cabinet against the wall.

"Nora will explain everything. You're going to stay here until I come for you. I mean it." he pointed a finger at his niece. "You do not leave this building for any reason."

She nodded mutely, understanding the severity of the unknown situation and sat herself on the edge of the couch. Miles exchanged a look with Nora then walked out before he could change his mind.


	27. Chapter 27

"The most important thing is to not cause a panic. We don't need anyone getting riled up or scared out there. That will only cause more problems."

"Is he armed?"

"I don't know. Possibly, so be on your guard. I wouldn't put it past him." Miles forced himself to stay in one place rather than pace in front of the group Jackson had gathered. "Nora said he was in the bakery. I suggest we start there, then branch out. He's in a gray t-shirt, jeans, and boots. Oh, and he's wearing a hat. He's about, I don't know, two, three inches shorter than me."

"Don't take this the wrong way," it was Collins who spoke, "I like Nora and I trust her judgment but... are you sure about this? We're not going on a wild goose chase are we?"

"No. She knows what she's talking about."

"What do we do if we find him?" Andrew asked.

"Subdue him, take him straight to the Capitol. Don't, don't try to be a hero though. Don't underestimate him. If you find him, send word with someone else for the rest of us."

* * *

Miles felt as though he was going in circles. It had been at least an hour since they started looking for Bass and they had made no progress so far. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Nora had imagined it, or possibly mistaken someone else for Bass. _No, she had been too shaken up for it not to be real. _

His scouting route took him into the section of the city they lived in and he moved quickly down the sidewalk towards the townhouse. He would go to the end of the street, then circle back and head towards the Mall again. Then, start the process over once more.

"I hope you're not wasting all this time and manpower because of me."

The quiet voice made him stop. There, on the porch of his home, sat Bass on the step, with his feet planted against the railing. For a moment, all Miles could do was stare. Bass returned the gaze, then smiled slightly and swung his legs around so his feet rested firmly on the cement.

"All you had to do was come here." he added quietly. "Of course, I watched for a while. It's actually kind of funny to watch you cavorting with rebels."

"They're not the rebels anymore."

"I see you don't consider yourself one of them."

"What?"

"You said _they're _not _we're_."

"Whatever." Miles waved a hand impatiently. He still hadn't moved. Bass pulled his hat off and scratched at the top of his head. His hair was longer than Miles could ever remember. It curled over the tips of his ears and the collar of his shirt. The top was tousled in some parts and flattened in others due to the hat and was void of any sign of gel, or whatever the hell Bass had used to slick his hair back for years.

"Is this the part where you cuff me?" he asked, slipping the cap back onto his head. He poked at the bill, pushing it up so they were able to look each other in the eye. "Drag me off to your friends and torture me for my war crimes?"

Miles said nothing. His fingers squirmed where he had shoved them into his pockets and glowered at his old friend. Seeing he wasn't going to step forward, Bass stood, bracing himself on the railing, then took a step towards him. He bit back a grimace, smirking instead when he saw Miles's eyes tighten in slight concern.

"All you, man." he gestured down to his leg. "Now I'll never be a kicker for the Bears."

"You kick with your-" he stopped himself, mouth pressing into a firm, thin line and stared off down the street. Bass chuckled quietly.

"It's so easy isn't it? It's like we've never been apart."

"Dammit, Bass, shut up." he growled angrily, yanking a pair of zip ties out from his waistband. A part of his brain registered the fact that Bass didn't fight him as he wrapped the wire around his wrists and slid the clip into place. The plastic bit into his skin but the other man didn't protest. "You're fucked up, you know that?"

"_I'm _fucked up? Miles, you have no idea what you look like right now. I see the guilt in your eyes. You hate that you tried to kill me. You're relieved that I didn't die. Then there's anger and you want to beat the shit out of me. Talk about being fucked up."

Miles gritted his teeth and tugged on the ties harder. Bass merely chuckled, stumbling slightly as the other man shoved him forward roughly.

"This isn't a joke." he growled from behind.

"No, I can tell you're quite serious."

* * *

Nora sighed quietly as she stared out the window, waiting anxiously for Miles to come back. She leaned her forehead and fingertips against the glass as she took a deep, calming breath. Charlie was slouched against the couch behind her. Neither of them had said anything in quite some time.

"What's in the box?" Charlie asked quietly. She had noticed it earlier but thought nothing of it. Then, the more they sat there with nothing to do, she began to wonder. Since it was Miles's office, she was expecting a severed head or a weapon of some kind.

The question caught Nora's attention and she turned away from the window. She looked at the cake box on the desk, then at her niece's transfixed stare.

"It was supposed to be a surprise for later but this day seems pretty shot." she walked towards the desk, gesturing for Charlie to come over. Once they were standing together, Nora lifted the lid and waited for Charlie to say something. The young woman tilted her head slightly as she stared at the cake.

"How did you know it was my birthday?"

"Miles told me."

"Miles?"

"He said June 14. Is he wrong? I kind of imagine he'd be wrong about this sort of thing."

"No. He's right. I'm just... surprised he remembered." Charlie murmured. A faint smile formed on her face. Birthdays had been different in the years since the blackout. She remembered her father creating small presents for her and Maggie once made an awful attempt at a cake. The other residents of the village would come together for dinner but it was nothing like the extravagant birthday parties she vaguely remembered living in Chicago.

"Well, Happy Birthday."

"Thank you. Nothing really happy about it."

"Yeah, I know. I feel bad. We had it all planned out." Nora smiled. "We should probably eat some of it. I could get a candle and sing to you."

"No, that's okay."

"Okay. I know there are some plates and forks out in the hall. Let me grab some and I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, they were sitting together on the couch, each with a piece of cake in their hands.

"It's been a long time since I had a birthday." Charlie commented before popping another bite into her mouth. "Or, a decent one at least. Dad always tried to make it special but there wasn't that much you could do."

"Do you remember birthdays before the blackout?"

"My last one. I turned six. It was in this place with games and rides. There was this big thing, I don't know what you'd call it. There were all these ladders, nets, and things you had to climb on and it went right to the ceiling. There were slides too, that's how you got out. It was caged in."

"I know what you're talking about."

"I remember climbing and climbing and I didn't realize it but I was at the top and it was so high up. I was standing there looking down and got so scared. My dad was yelling for me to come down, that he had a surprise for me but I refused."

"I'm assuming you got out since you're here telling me the story. What did it?"

"Miles." Charlie looked over with a smile. "He was my surprise. I saw him come around the corner but I wouldn't budge. So he came in after me and got lost, then stuck, and finally got me. Threw me over his shoulder and carried me out, told me to stop causing so much trouble."

Nora smiled at the story, completely able to picture Miles stuck in a ball pit. She was about to say something when there was a soft knock on the door. Andrew opened it slightly and poked his head into the room.

"Miles wanted me to let you know he's back. He's outside the interrogation room."

"They found him?"

"Yeah, Miles did."

"Thanks Andrew. Why don't you have some cake?" Nora stood from the couch to leave the room. He moved further into the room, allowing her to get through the door. She shut it quietly behind herself and Andrew frowned slightly, glancing at Charlie, then to the cake box.

"Why are you having cake?"

"It uh, it's my birthday."

"Happy Birthday. Why didn't you tell me? I would have planned something. I'd take you out to dinner."

"You always take me out to dinner."

"I'd make it more special though."

"I'm not really in the mood to celebrate. It's just another day to me." she shrugged, slipping the fork into her mouth. He sat next to her, swiped some icing off the side of the plate, and sucked at his finger.

"The first holidays were the worst. I remember the first Christmas without my mom, Laura tried decorating the tree by herself and wound up setting it on fire. My dad forgot our birthday that year." he smiled crookedly. "Sucked at the time but we laugh at it now."

"This is the first time they've made an attempt to celebrate anything. I couldn't imagine myself participating in Christmas this year. I was... I was in a bad state. I think they wanted to give me space and not try to act like some jolly family. Danny... Danny always tried to make me breakfast on my birthday when we were younger. He would get up early while I was asleep and make toast or eggs. My dad would try to help and he'd refuse. He would bring it upstairs without any help and looked so pleased with himself. It was always awful but I would eat it anyway." she laughed slightly but he could see the tears building up. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in carefully towards him. Her head fell onto his shoulder and she dropped the plate on her lap, sniffing loudly. He leaned his head against the top of hers. He let her cry it out, holding her the whole time, and occasionally whispering words of comfort.

"I'm sorry," she pulled away from him suddenly, as if she had been shocked, and stood up, wiping at her cheeks, "I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry."

"No, you don't have to sit here and listen to this."

"You're right, I don't have to," he stood up as well and cupped her face in his hands, "but I want to. I told you I'll always listen. It's your birthday. You're missing your family. It's understandable. Don't be embarrassed or feel bad."

"It's just, it's not fair." she whispered tearfully, choking back a sob. "It's not supposed to be this way and now, Monroe's down there and we don't know what the end of the week is going to bring. I thought this was over, that even though it hurt so bad to not have them, at least I had Miles, then Nora, and now you, that life could start going on and now that's being threatened again."

* * *

"Miles,"

He lifted his head and stood quickly upon seeing Nora coming down the hall towards him. He caught her easily as she reached for him.

"Are you okay?" her anxiety was clear as she touched his face gently, then skimmed her fingers over his neck and chest, as if making sure he wasn't hurt.

"I'm fine. He... he didn't put up a fight. Didn't even try to attack me."

"Why? What is he doing? Why is he acting like some pacifist?"

"I don't know." he pointed at the closed door to their left. "They won't let me in. I think they're worried that I'm going to let him escape or something. Todd seems to think this is one big ruse, that this was our plan all along. We pretend he was dead and I come here, become a rebel, and then when the time was right, Bass would emerge and we'd take down the government from the inside."

"Jackson knows that's not true."

* * *

"I'll sit here all day." Jackson leaned back in his chair, an ankle crossed over his knee, and stared Bass down across the desk.

"Good, me too." the general smirked coldly back. A heavy silence hung between them. "You know, your interrogation tactics are sorely lacking."

"I'm sorry Sebastian. I could get a psychopath in here to cut you up if you'd like. Typically that's not how we run things in the United States."

"So it's death by boredom then."

"Or you could just talk."

"Like I said, I won't talk unless it is to Miles."


	28. Chapter 28

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because the others don't think so and I don't need them on my case now. Besides, the last thing I want to do is cater to Sebastian Monroe. He's a prisoner Miles. He doesn't get to dictate how this works. Either he plays the game by our rules or we wait until he breaks."

Nora glanced up between Miles and Jackson, then quietly suggested, "Why don't I go in?"

"No." Miles shook his head vigorously and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Absolutely not happening. Out of the question."

"He's not going to talk to them. They won't let you talk to him. At least if I go in, he might say something."

"I'm not letting you in there with him by yourself."

"He's unarmed and contained. What is he going to do? He came into the bakery, was obviously following me, and didn't do anything then. It was more risky out there than it is in here and you know it." she tilted her head at him, eyebrows raised slightly. "If he knows something, we need to find out and being locked in a standstill like this, when we're days away from a war, is not good. We have little intel. Even the slightest thing he says could help us."

"It's not helping. Do you remember what Jeremy said? He was coming here to get _you_."

"And do you remember what Mia said? Neville has an attack planned. Neville. Not Bass. So do you really want to waste time over who is going to interrogate him when I could be in there doing it right now?" she looked at Jackson, adding, "I assure you that there are no friendly feelings between the two of us. I'm just a familiar face."

He looked down at the brunette, then over to her fuming fiance. Miles threw his hands in the air in a 'fuck it all' gesture.

"She's just going to go and do what she feels like anyway so might as well."

"Jackson," one of the aides appeared from the stairwell, beckoning him over. He nodded and looked back at the couple,

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Fight it out between yourselves."

He followed after the aide and Miles turned away, pressing his hands against his face. He lowered them to his waist and walked towards the windows a few feet away. Nora watched silently, then joined him. She leaned against the wall as he braced himself on the small ledge bordering the bottom of the panes.

"The room's not soundproof you know. I promise I'll scream loud enough if I need you."

"You shut down when you saw him before. Why are you volunteering for this?"

"We need answers. All signs are pointing to this weekend being a total bloodbath. If we stand a chance, I want to take it." she put her hand over his, then said quietly, "You said he didn't fight you."

"Yeah."

"He planned on getting caught then."

"Doesn't mean it's going to bode well for us."

"But we could use it to our advantage."

He glanced down at their joined hands, then up to her eyes. They gazed silently at each other and he rubbed his free hand over the back of his head.

"I don't like this."

"He's not armed."

"He could hit you."

"He's cuffed, isn't he? He's not going to have much mobility. I appreciate your concern but there's nothing that could go wrong. I'm just going to talk to him and he probably won't say anything to me."

"Then why even bother?"

"It's worth a shot."

"Fifteen minutes." he leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. "Then I'm breaking the door down. I don't care what Jackson says."

"Fifteen minutes." she repeated promisingly. She smiled as she squeezed his hand, then let go of him to walk back towards the interrogation room. She stood outside the door for a second, conjuring up every bit of her confidence, then slowly pushed the door open. Bass sat with his back to the door. He was slumped down in the chair, picking at one of his fingernails, and did not turn to look at her. She slipped into the room quietly, let the door shut with a click, and leaned back against it.

"You're not Miles." he commented quietly.

"No I'm not." she agreed. He lifted his head in interest at the sound of her voice but still did not look.

"Nora."

"Hey Bass," she pushed herself away from the door and came around the side of the table. He looked up at her with a toying grin.

"You're glowing."

She smiled coldly as she sat across from him. He leaned forward slightly, elbows on the table, and she forced herself not to flinch.

"I'm surprised to see you. You didn't seem like you wanted to talk to me earlier. Is Miles busy brooding and sent you instead?"

"No, it was my suggestion that I come talk to you. Miles isn't allowed to speak to you at the moment."

"Why not?"

"The others think you're working together or he'll try and help you escape."

"They clearly don't know Miles, do they?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. He stared across the table at her and she could almost see him assessing his options.

"I want to talk to Miles."

"That's not going to happen so either you talk to me or you can sit in a cell until they decide what to do with you."

"Then pass this message on to him. I know you're rebuilding the States. Good luck. I want the Republic but I'm not stupid. That being said, I'd rather see our country in his hands or burned to the ground instead of letting Neville be in charge. Your piss poor army isn't going to cut it. I'm willing to bring my soldiers here to fight."

"Why?"

"You don't have enough manpower. He's expanded the Republic further into Canada and gained the support of several territories there. They're coming down here to fight for him. He plans on squashing your big revival, in case you didn't know."

"Well, we have the Plains Nation, Texas, and Georgia."

"They won't get here in time. I have troops lining the eastern seaboard."

"You don't get anything out of this, you know. You'll be imprisoned, the Republic will be turned over to the United States, and that will be the end of you."

"It's already been the end of me. The Monroe Republic is that only in name. Tom's gone on a power surge. His wife has lost her fucking mind."

"Why should I tell him this?"

"If you want Baby Miles to have a fighting chance, you will." he gestured to her stomach, which she put a hand over protectively.

"Since when have you ever cared about my family?"

There was a flicker of something in his eyes that she couldn't quite put her finger on and he shrugged.

"I don't. Like I said, I don't want Tom in control. He's ruined everything I worked to build. If it means handing it over to Miles, so be it."


End file.
